Recently, some new social media accounts represented by Ridehaluing, Ecommurz and Taktekbum have posted a large number of Meme about local entrepreneurial culture on the Internet in Indonesia. (more Translated into memes, storylines or images with the ability to spread on a large scale) and jokes. Behind the popularity of these Memes is that the mentality of Indonesian start-up company employees is quietly changing.
Indonesia has always been the main target market for Chinese companies to go overseas. Now that localization requirements are getting higher and higher, understanding Indonesian startup culture has become more and more important for Chinese companies. Otherwise, maybe one day, it is very likely Become the object of onlookers for the people eating melons.
In this regard, Beluga’s special selection of the Asian Economic News platform “The Ken” column “Work hard, meme harder: How Indonesians are coping with startup hustle culture”, to approach the startup environment of Indonesia with readers.
Small Southeast Asian giants spoofed by social accounts
“Aluwi (Aluwi) was furious yesterday. I had just arrived at the company and found him tantrums at the all-hands meeting.”
The Aluwi mentioned above, whose full name is Kevin Aluwi(Kevin Aluwi), is 34 years old this year and is from Indonesia Co-CEO of Gojek, an online ride-hailing platform. Aluvi became a topic of public discussion on social media due to a rage at Gojek’s semi-annual company employee meeting (town hall).
It is said that when all the employees were discussing the company’s development plan, some employees of Aluwe reprimanded the other party for raising “unfriendly” questions. After the meeting, some participants made an anonymous speech on the Internet to vent their emotions.
Unfortunately, for Aluwi and his Gojek, employees are online’S emotional catharsis was amplified by an Instagram account called Ridehaluing. This account claims to be the “Science and Technology Startup Company Embarrassment Producer”. It was just registered and managed by an anonymous person. In January 2021, the account published its first post, and soon afterwards it accumulated more than 13,000 followers.
The content released by Ridehaluing will mostly take advantage of Indonesian start-up corporate culture, full of various jokes and spoofs. Among them, the most common is to complain about overtime and some companies’ whitewashing behavior. In addition, there are some common complaints, such as many companies using large discounts to attract customers, unrealistic market valuations, certain CEOs or VCs feel good about themselves, and so on.
From Gojek to Tokopedia, Traveloka, Grab, and Shopee, all leading Indonesian startups have been targeted by Ridehaluing and become the target of the account’s spoof.
Actually, Ridehaluing is not the first social account to spoof an Indonesian startup. As early as 2015, Startupwati and StartupLJackson in Indonesia began to post satirical comments on Twitter, and another account, HRDbacot, has existed for even longer.
Ridehaluing has created a series of posts about Gojek staff meeting events, each with a different interpretation of the event. | Image source: The Ken
This clever use of social media has brought a variety of topics to discuss, and it has also made these accounts popular among fans. Affected by the epidemic, remote work has become the new normal, and Indonesian technology companies lack an organizational structure that allows employees to speak freely. Over time, social media has become a platform for employees to express their opinions.
Although companies such as Gojek have their own social media accounts dedicated to discussing workplace culture to discuss issues such as work pressure and mental health, people prefer to use “spoof accounts” such as Ridehaluing. Although these accounts have only recently become active, they have developed very fast and are becoming more and more popular with young users.
Take Ecommurz as an example. This account describes itself as an “e-commerce enterprise spoof factory” and was established in September 2020. The account currently has more than 40,000 fans. Taktekbum was established in January 2021. After just over a month, the account has 12,000 followers on Twitter and 3,000 followers on Instagram.
However, the behavior of spoofing accounts today is very different from before. These accounts are using their influence to build communities and advocate reforms to the Indonesian workplace culture.
Take Ridehaluing as an example. The account often asks fans on the Stories section of Instagram and then shares their anonymous replies. The account will combine different statements to provide analysis from different perspectives on a certain event. After exposing the Gojek employee meeting incident, Ridehaluing also analyzed the reasons behind the incident. At present, Gojek has not publicly stated its position on this matter.
In just a few months, Ecommurz, Ridehaluing and Taktekbum etc. Social media accounts have attracted a large number of fans | Source: The Ken
In addition to sharing workplace embarrassments, these accounts also encourage fans to think critically about the products they are responsible for and the companies they work for, so that fans can work hard to improve their treatment. These accounts have quickly become popular on the Internet, and more and more printNigeria’s technology “smashers” realize that they can not only affect the efficiency of their company, but can even influence the future development of the entire technology start-up industry.
This is a new challenge for the human resources department of Indonesian technology companies. Tokopedia, Grab and Shopee all declined to respond when interviewed by “The Ken” about the spoof phenomenon. Gojek did not respond positively. Instead, he issued a statement stating that the company has an open communication corporate culture.
However, there are also some spoofed corporate executives who interact with these accounts and thank them for their suggestions for the development of the company. However, many startups still try to prevent employees from accessing such spoof accounts, and some companies even use legal means to deter these accounts; but from the perspective of how social media operates, these behaviors are tantamount to adding fuel to the fire.
Behind the intensification of the epidemic is the conflict among employees
If you consider the impact of the new crown epidemic on startups, the rise of these spoof accounts is actually not so surprising. For scientific and technological workers, the outbreak of the new crown epidemic will only make the fast-paced work atmosphere more chaotic and disorderly. Several technology companies such as Gojek, Grab and Traveloka announced large-scale layoffs and reorganizations last year. There are also many start-ups such as Blanja.com and Stoqo that have closed down directly due to the epidemic.
During the epidemic, Indonesia’s tourism and hotel accommodation industries suffered the most. The layoffs are therefore the strongest; other companies have slowed down hiring | Source: The Ken
At the same time, rumors about Indonesian start-ups planning mergers and acquisitions and public offerings (IPO) are also rampant. In major changes in the company, employees often have aA strong sense of loss, not knowing where to go, this also allows the spoof account to find the foundation for growth.
An employee said: “During the epidemic, no one is willing to listen to our voices. Our emotions just need an outlet.” This is why workplace spoof accounts are popular in the technology circle. , Many people will find some comfort in interacting with these accounts.
Many employees said that after the company went through a round of large-scale layoffs, every employee who remained had to take on more workload. Many people lose their motivation to work, and some choose to quit their jobs. These people said that their company has not established a good employee training and retention plan; these companies generally have tight budgets and it is difficult to recruit qualified talents, causing them to fall into a vicious circle.
On the other hand, even those employees who choose to stay are full of uncertainty about their future development. According to Ridehaluing’s news, in the closely watched merger of Gojek and Tokopedia, neither company has made information transparent to employees. External media reports indicate that the two companies have entered the final stage of merger negotiations.
In an interview with The Ken, Ridehaluing’s managers said that considering the potential M&A transactions, some Ridehaluing fans are planning to change jobs, and many people are excited about the fierce competition the company faces in the future.
Ridehaluing said: “We have sounded the alarm for layoffs for start-ups.” According to the “Harvard Business Review” (Harvard Business Review)< /span> reported that when two companies in the same industry merge, up to 30% of employees will be abolished due to redundancy.
In the Indonesian entrepreneurial circle, many veterans in the car-hailing industry still have fresh memories of the chaos after the merger of Grab and Uber in 2018. It was not until the last minute that the CEOs of the two companies announced the merger transaction. After the merger and acquisition transaction was finally completed, the laid-off employees had only a few hours to clean their desks.
Another problem raised by spoof accounts is that the inflated valuations of many technology companies may cause the entire industry to burst. Administrator of TaktekbumIn an interview with “The Ken”, he said that when news of the merger and IPO of science and technology enterprises began to flood the major news websites in Indonesia at the end of January, they had the idea of creating an account.
Taktekbum pointed out in a Twitter post that the business models of these startups are unsustainable, and once they enter the public market, their valuations will eventually “burst like a balloon.” Taktekbum’s account name refers to the ticking bell, which means “a wake-up call for technology start-ups”. The affix “bum”(bubble) and “boom”(boom)< /span> Homophony, suggesting that the valuation bubble of startups is bursting.
Although the current Southeast Asian technology giants, including the leading company Sea Group (Sea Group), all have quite eye-catching performance in the stock market . However, according to relevant predictions, after this wave of rising market ends, the stock market will usher in a more significant correction. But in the Indonesian market, people rarely discuss this issue because the public is mostly optimistic about the potential of the technology industry.
It will take time to verify how companies such as Gojek, Grab, and Tokopedia will perform after they are finally listed. However, no matter how the company develops, high-level business meetings and stock market fluctuations are not that important to employees. After all, many of them do not have options, and after a year of market downturn, they are facing another round. The possibility of layoffs.
These social accounts are “serious”, and employees treat them as “startup communities”
So, in addition to helping these employees to vent, these accounts are also becoming a catalyst for positive actions, encouraging people to work hard for better work treatment.
In the past year, employees of technology companies have generally developed a sense of burnout at work, and they have become more and more overworked and underrepresented.
For this phenomenon, some employees have a pragmatic attitude, thinking that the company manager has done their best. An Indonesian real estate startup employee interviewed anonymously said: “I think it is difficult for me to balance the relationship between work and life, and one party needs to make concessions and sacrifices. “
They do not reject the entrepreneurial boom in Indonesia, and they can also accept the long-term work model of enterprises. In return, the monthly salary of these employees is more than ten times the minimum wage in Jakarta, and their work experience is less than five years. From this point of view, the career advancement of these people is very fast.
But at the same time, when a company manager asks them to complete a certain task in a very short time, some people are likely to be overwhelmed, and intelligently sacrifice their rest time and work overtime to complete the work.
A clerk who works in an e-commerce company said: “I talked to my boss at 10 o’clock in the evening. Then the boss asked me to check again at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning. My mood was really hard to say at the time.” For privacy reasons, The employee requested anonymity.
According to the descriptions of some spoof accounts, the most common complaints among employees in the e-commerce industry are that their work makes them feel tired and work pressure is too much. Ridehaluing revealed to The Ken Research that it intends to expose those company executives who set unrealistic and unpopular goals for employees and let them self-evaluate and change their behavior.
Ecommurz is more proactive. In early March, it invited fans to participate in a “bad startup culture and how to deal with (Toxic hustle culture and what to do about it)”’s online seminar. The event invited several speakers from the startup circle, including Ecommurz account administrators. During the event, the Ecommurz account manager was presented as a cat, and his voice was also processed.
On a Wednesday evening, a total of more than 60 people participated in this online seminar, and the participation fee was 100,000 Indonesian rupiah (approximately USD 7 ). The conference discussed the origin and meaning of the “busy culture” of startups and how employees delineate work and life. In addition, the meeting also discussed the role of online communities such as Ecommurz.
One participant said:“If you are the CEO or co-founder of a company, then on a personal level, busyCorporate culture must be of great significance. But from the perspective of employees, if employees do not have shares in the company, nor stocks, or options, then whether they choose to be busy with work due to self-motivation or have to run around due to pressure, their image is no different from that of a slave. No one will be voluntary. “
Among the three speakers invited to host the seminar, Dudi Arisandi (Dudi Arisandi) is the most famous. He is the head of human resources at Tiket, a travel company. Tiket is a competitor of Traveloka, but it is currently slightly smaller than the latter. Dudi Alishandi pointed out at the seminar that nowadays social media is full of dissatisfaction with workplace rules. He encouraged everyone not to suppress their frustrations, but to take action and work hard to make the working environment better.
Another spokesperson said that in some cases, employees simply don’t trust their human resources department. They prefer to seek advice from peers anonymously through accounts such as Ecommurz.
Compared with the company’s official account, netizens prefer spoof accounts. Because such accounts often take a serious attitude towards the working environment of Indonesian start-ups | Data source: The Ken
One fan said: “On accounts such as Ecommurz, we can have sincere conversations and exchanges. In the company, corporate culture does not allow us to raise unpleasant topics. We need a place to vent our emotions and dump spiritual trash. . Can the company’s HR department provide us with such an environment? Even if it can, can it guarantee confidentiality for us?”
A spokesperson for Gojek said in an interview with The Ken Research that the company has established a number of employee feedback mechanisms for collecting feedback, and the staff meeting is one of them. The spokesperson pointed out: “We will regularly hold departmental staff meetings and company-wide staff meetings.At the meeting, we will share the latest important company information with employees and invite them to speak on the spot or ask questions of the management team face to face.
In addition, we regularly solicit opinions and suggestions from employees on various issues. Our specific practices include regular employee satisfaction surveys (Pulse Survey) and annual employee engagement questionnaires (Employee Engagement Survey). In the survey, employees can combine their work experience, share their views, and put forward suggestions on how to improve. “
For young Indonesians, start-ups are still an ideal employment direction, but the existence of spoof accounts shows that start-ups need to do more than just provide employees with higher salaries. Employees must also give play to their ingenuity and strive to promote the company’s management system to become more scientific and standardized. In addition, we must take the initiative to learn about employee stock options and resist unrealistic goals in a timely manner.
Ignore or face up to it, should startups embark on social platforms
As more and more technology companies are targeted by spoof accounts, many companies have also become the focus of online chatter. The Indonesian educational technology platform Ruangguru is one of the objects exposed. It is reported that the platform is listed by Fast Company as one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world. In addition, Ruangguru is the only Southeast Asian company on the list.
Some media reported that during the lockdown period, the Ruangguru platform provided free live courses to 10 million students. An Indonesian news media even stated that Ruangguru is comparable to SpaceX, a US aerospace manufacturer that is also on the list. ).
In response to this statement, Ecommurz then asked fans on the Internet: What is the experience of working in the “Indonesia version of SpaceX”? As soon as this topic came out, only a fewWithin an hour, Ecommurz’s inbox was overwhelmed by emails from Ruangguru’s former and current employees.
Ecommurz received about 60 responses in total, and more than 70% of them (mostly interns) complained that the salary was too low. According to feedback, the monthly salary of Ruangguru interns is only IDR 1 million (about 70 US dollars), which is almost Can’t afford the high cost of living in Jakarta. On the second day of the topic, Ruangguru’s co-founder and chief product officer Iman Usman (Iman Usman) was on Twitter Issued a statement on behalf of the company.
The co-founder of Ruangguru responded to this question on Twitter . Although Ridehaluing praised the founder’s problem-solving attitude, the majority of netizens were not satisfied with his response. | Image source: The Ken
Some netizens said that the Ruangguru platform is supported by interns in order to maintain operations. However, few of these interns were officially hired after the internship period ended. In response, Usman said that Ruangguru will provide interns with “competitive” remuneration packages based on the nature of their work. He said that in the past two quarters, the number of interns in the company accounted for less than 10% of the total number of full-time employees, and after the internship, about 10% to 15% of interns in the company will become regular. Was officially hired as a full-time employee.
On Twitter, Usman ended his statement with a Google form.He used this form to solicit opinions from netizens and admitted that “the company’s system is not perfect, and we are working hard to improve it.”
Without the participation of the spoof account, it is difficult for this kind of issue to be discussed in public. Interns are usually at the bottom of the company’s pyramid. Most people feel that they have no bargaining chips with the company. Therefore, they often have no courage to refuse the work arrangements their leaders give them.
On the other hand, the direct involvement of company founders in conflicts may also trigger a public relations crisis. For the technology giants, it is safer to hang up and hang up, instead of acknowledging online disputes and problems. But Ecommurz’s post got a response from the co-founder of Ruangguru. This shows that the credibility of spoof accounts is constantly improving, and people no longer regard these posts as baseless rumors.
Unlikely. Ilan Laderida, CEO and co-founder of Indonesia’s first conversational artificial intelligence (AI) platform Kata.ai(Irzan Raditya) has also experienced the exposure of spoof accounts. He then publicly thanked Ridehaluing, thanking the account for providing constructive comments on his company’s products. Tiket Chief Personnel Officer Dudi Alishandi (Dudi Arisandi) even volunteered to participate in an online discussion event initiated by Ecommurz.
However, not everyone is willing to accept the problems caused by these spoof accounts, and some companies have issued warnings and threats to these accounts and tried to block them.
Ridehaluing revealed to The Ken that it received a warning message in early March that an Indonesian unicorn company is preparing to file a lawsuit against it, which may result in account bans. Now the account is considering adding more “meaningful” discussions in its posts, rather than provoking some unnecessary arguments, otherwise the account will face the fate of being closed. Regarding the authenticity of this statement, “The Ken” is currently difficult to determine.
Many times, in the face of corporate management/culture-related gossip, the management of most technology startups is “talking about the tiger’s face.” A person interviewed by “The Ken” saidAt a recent staff meeting, the manager of the e-commerce company they worked for actually issued a warning to employees, saying that if there is any public opinion that flows to spoof accounts and is amplified, the company will start internal investigations from employees.
However, these spoof accounts did not stop due to resistance, and they will continue to speak out. These accounts have even expanded the scope of topic discussions. Ridehaluing has been discussing with fans the latest regulation on carpooling introduced by the British government recently.
In the United Kingdom, multiple courts have successively issued rulings, ruling that the ride-hailing driver is a regular Uber employee, not a contract worker. They enjoy the same basic worker rights as other employees in the UK, and are entitled to the national minimum wage guarantee and other benefits. Ridehaluing said that developments in other countries around the world may also affect Indonesia’s online car-hailing market. The account conducted a poll of fans and asked fans for their opinions on whether Indonesia’s online car-hailing industry should adopt similar regulations. The answer given by most interviewees was “yes”.
In European and American countries, wage differences among employees of different genders, racial prejudice in the workplace, and technical ethics are common problems. However, in the employee circle of start-up companies in Indonesia, these problems have not been systematically resolved. Fortunately, however, the “foundation” for discussing these topics has been set up by the spoof account.
In many ways, the existence of spoof accounts helps spur Indonesian start-ups to continue to mature. They have created a safe communication space for many unspeakable insiders, raised employees’ awareness of workplace practices, and promoted the construction of a culture of honesty and loyalty.
In addition, spoof accounts are also a tool for employees of different companies to share knowledge and information. If there is no spoof account, this kind of communication is impossible. Due to the limitations of one-paper contracts, employees’ knowledge and vision are often trapped within the scope of their respective companies. The spoof account makes these conversations more diversified by using everyday language and humorous topics.
Currently, spoof accounts are being welcomed by more and more Indonesian start-up employees. Ecommurz revealed to “The Ken” that its goal is to create a humane working environment for “workers” in the Indonesian technology industry. One way to achieve this goal is to shout to the “bosses.” “Before we achieve this goal, we will all rejoice in those negative cases, and those victims can only admit that they are unlucky.”
This article from the micro-channel public number: beluga whale out to sea (ID: baijingapp), Author: Nadine Freischlad ( “The Ken” column reporter, a former Tech In Asia, CNN, VICE and other platforms columnist), Yunindita Prasidya (a columnist for “The Ken” and a former economic reporter for the Jakarta Post). Compilation: Sofia’s Bird’s Nest, head image from: Visual China span>