CRED’s Kunal Shah faces backlash over “Mediocre People” comment

NEW DELHI: Kunal Shah, the founder of CRED, sparked controversy on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) with a comment about “mediocre people.” The post, made on May 25, quickly gained widespread attention, amassing over one million views, 2,200 likes, and numerous comments, many of which were critical of Shah’s remark.

In his post, Shah wrote, “Mediocre people often have a clear tell: you’ll often see them hanging out with other mediocre people, probably because the A+ folks avoid them.” This statement did not sit well with many users, who took to the comments section to express their disapproval and school Shah on his views.

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Public Reactions to Shah’s Comment

One individual responded, “Somewhere out there, there are people just living their lives—making friends, falling in love, raising kids, and having fun. And then there are people like this, deep diving into capitalistic hell without being able to enjoy simple things like ‘hanging out’ without evaluation. Live a little, Kunal, and think a little less, perhaps. An incredibly full life can be lived by both a mediocre, an A+ person, and every type of stupid definition in between.”

Another user added, “Doesn’t correlate with real life for me — people hang out more based on their value systems than anything else and within that, they might seek folks at their level (A or D-) for a particular thing they are doing. I hope I don’t personally blanket label people at A+ or D- and explore everyone for what they are/bring. Besides supposedly A+ people by some definition, maybe total douchebags are often true and are best avoided.”

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A third comment read, “Thank you for making me realise and appreciate the importance of being mediocre.”

The backlash highlights the sensitivity around social stratification and the importance of respectful discourse, especially from influential public figures. As the debate continues, Shah’s comment serves as a reminder of the diverse perspectives and experiences within any community.