Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath posted a video of a sophisticated practical joke he pulled off ten years ago in the company’s office. The goal of the prank was to bring humor into the workplace and test the team’s ability to function under extreme stress by staging a fake police raid.
The CEO and co-founder of Zerodha, Nithin Kamath, posted a video on January 28th, 2010, depicting a sophisticated practical joke that took place in the company’s Bengaluru office. The video, which was first uploaded to YouTube, shows Kamath planning a fictitious police raid to see how resilient his team is under pressure and to add some humor to the office.
“We carried out a fake police raid in our office to see how the team reacts to extreme stress and to have some fun, of course,” Kamath says at the beginning of the video. To record every second of the dramatic events as they unfolded, technicians installed covert cameras. Using actors Kamath hired to play police officers, the actors stormed the Zerodha office brandishing a fake order from the Bombay High Court.
Tensions increased as the fictitious police officers halted work and rounded up staff members, raising accusations of financial fraud and ponzi scheme involvement. Employees’ reactions are captured on camera. Among them are Hanan, the head of client operations, who gained the moniker “angry man,” and Venu, the head of operations, who maintained his composure while pleading with the impostor.
The moment all staff members were gathered into a room and momentarily imprisoned while they awaited the return of their “fugitive” boss marked the culmination of the practical joke. Rather than offer an explanation, Nithin Kamath abruptly reappeared, breaking the tension with a loud “Surprise!” Employees were shocked by the intricate prank; some were in tears, while others were laughing.
After being posted on YouTube, the video has since gone viral, accumulating over 1.8 million views, 13,000 likes, and a ton of comments. In addition to creating a noteworthy moment in Zerodha’s history, Nithin Kamath’s innovative use of humor to foster teamwork has amused a larger online audience. The joke video, which has been going around for ten years, shows off the lighter side of corporate culture and the CEO’s creative method of building a strong, cohesive team.
