He started freelancing at 18. No degree, no connections — just raw writing ability and hustle. By 22, he was earning ₹200,000 (about $2,400) a month working from home as a lead copywriter, a remarkable income in India for a college dropout who built everything from scratch.
For years, the work flowed. Brands needed words, and he delivered them. He rose from freelance gigs to full-time remote contracts, building a reputation that kept clients coming back.
Then 2026 hit.
"2026 was my curse," he wrote on Reddit in a post titled 'Went from 2l a month to 40k a month salary; the downfall of a lifetime.' "Lost all my jobs and projects, and my monthly income came down to literally nothing from the wuthering heights of a 6-figure salary, in a matter of two weeks."
The mechanism was straightforward: companies he'd worked for decided to train AI models on his writing style and replace him with native employees aided by AI. The copy that once required his expertise and instincts could now be generated, edited, and scaled by machines.
"I was apparently laid off from my job because they decided to train AI and take native employees," he wrote.
Within weeks, every contract evaporated. The same skills that had earned him a comfortable living were suddenly commoditized.
He eventually found work at a marketing agency in Hyderabad, handling marketing strategy for Telangana Tourism — one of the leads spearheading the entire campaign. The pay: ₹40,000 a month. Five times less than his peak earnings.
"I'm being paid 40k a month, for a role bigger than my previous one, which used to pay me 2 lakhs a month. It makes my heart ache every day," he wrote.
But the money isn't the only wound. "People around me are poor on creativity. They work for the sake of working. No love. No passion. That kills my motivation. Even though I do the work of 5 people now. I consider this the biggest downfall in my entire bloodline."
Reddit commenters offered mixed reactions. Some encouraged him to view it as temporary. Others pointed out the structural shift: "You took the risk, got lucky and made money when the time is right. But it's not always gonna be there. Changes happen in every generation and AI was the big change for ours."
One commenter wrote: "You went from earning ₹0 a month to ₹40k a month. If you had the skills to get someone to pay you ₹2L a month once, those skills haven't disappeared."