Signing off from Groww

The first stock order I ever placed was for SPICEJET, 3 shares at ₹79.60 back in 2018.

But my story with stocks begins much earlier.

Every time I’d watch a movie or TV series with investment bankers, I was always curious to understand what stocks were. Stocks were always portrayed as the way people in suits got rich.

For the longest time, that was my perception was that only people in suits (bankers/rich) had access to stocks.

But when I actually started reading and learning about stocks, about how to manage personal finance, I realised something else entirely.

It’s one of the best opportunities we have to build wealth for everyone.

That’s where my desire to work on a fintech and, more precisely, an investment product started.

I started my career working on a banking × crypto product.

I really enjoyed the challenge, but I always knew I wanted to work with stocks someday.

When I was moving on from that role, I came across an opening at Groww.

It was probably the smoothest interview experience I’ve had.
I had a deep interest in finance, and I seemed to tick all the right boxes.

More than anything, I was just excited to work on a large-scale fintech product.

Even after more than two years, one thing still sticks in my mind from that interview process. When I first spoke to Adit about joining Groww, there were exactly three things I was looking for in my next role:

Now that I’m leaving Groww, I can look back and say: I got to experience all three.

***

Why leave Groww? Why now?

Burnout.

I think most people are tired of hearing that word by now.

I’ve gone through burnout a few times before, but I always kept pushing through.

This time was different.

Designing never really felt like work to me (though I promise I never made it seem that way).
Every time I solved a problem or came up with something that just fit, it was pure joy.

But at the start of this year, that joy disappeared.
Something felt different. Broken.

That’s when I realised it was finally time to take the break I’d been putting off for XYZ reasons.

I’ve been working non-stop since 2016, when I started university.
Weekends. Late nights. Long hours. I always knew those things would catch up to me.

Now they have.

My future goals

One thing I’ve been certain about over the past few years: I want to live abroad.

I’ve believed in India’s growth story since the early 2010s. But I’m also realistic enough to know that growth doesn’t always translate to a better quality of life.

So after my break, I plan to explore digital nomad visas—along with remote roles or freelance work.

Best time to build

I often joke that the only reason I became a product designer was that I wasn’t skilled enough to be an engineer.

But a lot has changed since then.

My coding skills have improved a lot—especially since the start of GPT.
I’ve used AI to learn in ways that just weren’t possible before.
And I’ve used it to build four apps that are now live on the App Store.

I’m more excited than ever to keep hacking together small, useful tools.

***

Burnout aside, I’ve never fully stopped enjoying the process of building a fintech product. This will always be one of the most meaningful opportunities I’ve had to design at scale.

I used to talk to Rahul about this often, how it is a unique opportunity to work on a thoughtfully designed investment product in a space where design is usually an afterthought.

I got to shape experiences that reach millions.

That kind of opportunity stays with you.

This chapter gave me more than just experience. It gave me people to learn from, real problems to solve, and the chance to build something that genuinely mattered to me.

It’s something I’ll always carry with me. Quietly, and with a lot of pride.

– Kaushik