“This company is not just my work, it is my life. For 18 years, I have dedicated more than 18 hours a day to Byju’s pouring my heart and soul into this mission. And I want to do this for at least 30 more years,” Raveendran wrote, according to Moneycontrol, with the email coming on Thursday evening, hours after he addressed the staffers in a town hall.

The 43-year-old, who co-founded the edtech firm in 2011 with his wife Divya Gokulnath, further clarified to its employees that the resignation of Deloitte, its auditor, was a ‘mutually agreed-upon decision,’ adding that the move did not play any role in the exit of three of its board members.

He, however, also stressed that the email was not to suggest that the organisation was not facing ‘tough headwinds.’

Raveendran did not touch upon issues such as layoffs, delay in appraisals, and delay in both variable pay and provident fund (PF) disbursements.

Describing the layoffs as a ‘last resort’ made with a ‘heavy heart’ he wrote: “My heart goes out to each and every team member who is facing the difficult reality of downsizing. Tough times test us, but they also reveal our true strength. I assure you that the edtech is here to stay. We are here to stay. We have not come this far to only come this far.”