World
India
In a striking case that has reignited debate over remote work ethics and employee accountability, online legal education platform LawSikho has come under the spotlight after using artificial intelligence tools to detect alleged moonlighting by a staff member. The company’s CEO, Ramanuj Mukherjee, and co-founder, Yash Vijayvargiya, publicly shared details of the incident on social media, triggering a wave of reactions across platforms.
– We had a supicion that someone was moonlighting
– We gave the available data to AI to analyse
– We showed her the results (some of it attached below), demanded she installs a time tracking and activity tracking software for proper accountability
– she quit in rage and wrote a… pic.twitter.com/lg826EXFZL— Ramanuj Mukherjee (@law_ninja) April 14, 2025
AI-Driven Investigation
According to Mukherjee, the company grew suspicious of an employee’s declining performance and irregular work patterns. To investigate, they fed existing performance and activity data into an AI tool, which allegedly revealed that the employee was logging significantly fewer work hours than expected and may have been engaged in dual employment.
“We had a suspicion that someone was moonlighting. We gave the available data to AI to analyse,” Mukherjee stated on X (formerly Twitter). The analysis reportedly showed that the employee was working less than half of the expected hours, with erratic daily patterns and unaccounted time averaging nearly five hours a day.
Following this, the company asked the employee to install time-tracking software to ensure accountability. However, she chose to resign, and later posted on LinkedIn accusing LawSikho of fostering a “toxic” work culture.
Co-Founder’s Response: Allegations of Forgery and Poor Performance
In a detailed LinkedIn post, LawSikho’s co-founder Yash Vijayvargiya corroborated the performance concerns. He claimed that the employee had not met her monthly targets since November and was operating at just 30% efficiency. Screenshots from the AI analysis tool were also shared to back these claims.
Further investigation reportedly revealed deeper concerns. Mukherjee claimed that after speaking with the employee’s former employer, it emerged that she had submitted forged documents, including a fake offer letter and salary slips, to secure the job at LawSikho. “She worked at Suraasa for just 5-6 months and got terminated due to performance issues,” Mukherjee added.
A Divisive Public Reaction
The episode has sparked a broader conversation about remote work culture, accountability, and privacy. While some social media users supported LawSikho’s actions, arguing that flexibility without responsibility hurts productivity, others questioned the ethics of using AI surveillance and publicly naming a former employee.
“It’s disappointing to see this situation unfold. WFH should come with professional responsibility,” one user commented.
Others raised concerns about data privacy and employee dignity. “This public shaming sets a dangerous precedent. There are better ways to handle HR issues,” another wrote.
The incident highlights the growing tension between the flexibility offered by remote work and the mechanisms employers are now deploying to enforce performance standards. Companies across sectors are increasingly turning to time-tracking software, keystroke logs, and AI-based productivity tools to monitor staff working from home.
