Anmol Garg: Comedy Is Easy—Stand-Up Is the Real Test (Indian Stand-up Comedian, 800K+ Followers)

Anmol Garg Interview

"I went from around 500 followers to 2,000 overnight. So I followed it up with another rant — and that one went viral too. That’s when it clicked: I loved doing this, especially since I’d had my fair share of traumatic corporate experiences."

Q. You made a bold switch from coding to cracking jokes. Can you share the moment you realized comedy was your true calling?

I started out as a software engineer at an MNC — good job, great salary, and believe it or not, even back in 2010, it was fully work-from-home. But somewhere along the way, I realized the desk job life just wasn’t for me.

I ended up quitting and spent the next few years experimenting. I tried my hand at three different startups (none of which took off), worked in sales, digital marketing, event management, even emceeing and training. I was constantly trying to find something that truly fit.

Then came the lockdown. I was 31 at the time — that strange phase where you're questioning everything. One day, I went to a stand-up comedy show just to unwind, and something clicked. 

It just felt right. Looking back, it made zero rational sense. My friends were settling down, buying homes, upgrading their lives — and here I was, about to start something I had no experience in. I'd never even been on stage before.

But there was a strong inner voice that said, this is what I want to do. I’ve always been the class clown in school and college, but never thought of it as a career. 

And yet, in that moment, I knew I wanted to make people laugh. It felt honest. So I went with my gut — and that’s how the switch happened.

Q. ‘Corporate Babaji’ has become a beloved figure for anyone who's survived office life. How did this unique, satirical character come to life?

It’s actually a pretty interesting story. Back then, I was experimenting a lot with content on Instagram. I had a series called News You Can Misuse — a spoof on daily news stories. I ran it for about a year and a half. 

Honestly, it didn’t pick up, and now when I look back, I can see why — the humor wasn’t sharp, and the format wasn’t quite right. But it was a phase of constant trial and error.

Then one day, I posted a short rant — just a one-minute video about how you shouldn’t fall in love with your company because, well, they can let you go anytime. It was raw, real, and very expressive — more than the words, I think it was the frustration in my face that connected with people. And that video just blew up.

I went from around 500 followers to 2,000 overnight. So I followed it up with another rant — and that one went viral too. That’s when it clicked: I loved doing this, especially since I’d had my fair share of traumatic corporate experiences.

I leaned into that theme and started doing more corporate-related content, blending satire with advice — or what I now call corporate gyan. One day, someone commented, “You’re like a corporate babaji.” 

And it just stuck. People kept referring to me that way, and eventually, I embraced it as a persona — the Corporate Babaji was born.

So yeah, it wasn’t planned — it came out of a moment of honesty, a lot of trial-and-error, and one comment that ended up shaping a whole identity.

Q. You’ve been pretty honest about corporate life in your satire. Have you ever had someone from HR or a company say, “Okay, that one really hit home”?

Oh, absolutely — and in the most interesting ways. While my content is very pro-employee and often pokes fun at management or HR, a surprising number of people from leadership roles actually follow me. 

They usually don’t comment or engage publicly — probably because they don’t want to be seen liking a video that jokes about performance reviews or toxic bosses! But privately? They’re watching, and many of them have told me they agree with a lot of what I say.

At live shows, HR professionals often come up to me and say, “Look, we love your content. We can’t really comment on it publicly, but it’s so relatable.” Some even admit they use my videos to keep a pulse on employee sentiment — or as one company head put it, “We follow you to figure out what not to do.”

What I love is that some HR folks are sporty enough to laugh at the jokes even when they’re the punchline. They know it’s satire, and they see the truth in it. Interestingly, even managers find it relatable — because, well, every manager has a manager too.

I think what resonates with people in leadership is that I say serious things in a funny way — things they often can’t say out loud. So instead, they forward my videos in social media groups. I’ve even heard that my videos get circulated pretty widely in HR circles, which is kind of poetic, isn’t it?

Q. You create content across Instagram, YouTube, and live shows. Which platform allows you to be the most authentic ‘Anmol’ without any filters?

To be honest, I’m pretty platform-agnostic at this point. I don’t think in terms of “What should I post on Instagram vs. YouTube?” — I think content first. Most of the time, it’s the same video going across Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube Shorts, and it performs well everywhere. 

I’ve built a niche and an audience that relates to what I say — a lot of them are frustrated corporate folks, so the message resonates regardless of platform.

It’s not really about which platform gives me the most freedom — it’s more about what I want to say. Once I know that, I just put it out across the board. I don’t tailor content too much based on platform, but I do consider relatability: Will this connect with people here? If yes, I post it.

So for me, it’s less about the filters of a platform and more about being clear and honest in what I want to express. And I think that authenticity has helped the content resonate across different spaces.

Q. What’s tougher in your experience: performing at a startup open mic fueled by caffeine or connecting with a quieter corporate crowd still battling Zoom fatigue?

Definitely the open mics — or any live comedy show, really. That’s the real test of comedy. Video content is great and reaches wide, but when you’re on stage in front of a live audience, it’s raw. 

It’s essentially: “I’m tired, I’m frustrated — you’re on stage and getting paid, now make me laugh.” That’s pressure. And that’s what makes it exciting too.

That’s also why I can churn out video content more frequently — reels almost every day — but a 10-minute stand-up bit might take me three months to refine.

Performing live means building a connection with a room full of strangers, reading the room, finding what resonates, and getting them to laugh — all in real time. It requires sharp observational skills, finely crafted writing, and an understanding of energy and timing.

So yeah, stand-up is definitely five times harder than doing a Zoom set or recording a reel. It’s immersive, unpredictable, and very honest. That’s why I see myself, first and foremost, as a stand-up comedian. 

Of course, the content creator hat is part of the journey — but stand-up will always be the holy grail for me.

Q. As someone who successfully pivoted from a corporate career, what advice would you give to those stuck in jobs they don’t love but are hesitant to make a change?

My biggest advice? Experiment, experiment, experiment.

There are no easy answers when it comes to finding your passion — and trust me, I’ve wrestled with that question for over a decade. What do I really want to do? It’s something that can’t be solved by just sitting in your room and thinking about it. The only way to figure it out is by going out and trying things.

I’ve dabbled in startups, sales, digital marketing, event management, and more — most of them didn’t work out. But the important part is: I never gave up on the process. I kept believing that there was something I was meant to do, something I was good at. I just hadn’t found it yet.

So if you’re stuck in a job you don’t enjoy, start by asking yourself why. And then begin exploring — maybe your passion lies in cybersecurity, or teaching, or entrepreneurship, or working with an NGO. Start small, build something on the side, and give yourself the space to figure it out.

Eventually, you’ll hit a point where something clicks. You’ll feel, this is it. And when that moment comes — go all in. But to reach that point, you’ve got to start. Try things. That’s the only way clarity will come.

Q. Many see you as the voice of the overworked and underappreciated employee. How do you balance humor with the responsibility of reflecting real workplace experiences?

That’s a really interesting question. When I first started, my content was mostly just rants and parodies about corporate life — light-hearted, funny takes meant purely for entertainment. 

But over time, something shifted. People started messaging me things like, “Your videos are the first thing I watch when I get home — they help me decompress,” or “You say the things I wish I could say out loud.” That’s when I realized this wasn’t just comedy anymore — it had become a voice for a larger experience.

Some even joked that I should start an employee union! That’s when it hit me — people were seeing me as more than a content creator. They saw me as someone reflecting their truth, someone who could express what they couldn't say themselves, especially in environments where speaking up can feel risky.

These days, I get messages from people sharing stories from their workplaces and asking me to make reels about them — anonymously, of course. So the way I approach content now is very different. I don’t think “comedy first.” I start with relatability. What are people going through? What do they need to hear? What’s not being said enough?

Once I have that core insight, I build the humor around it. I try to keep it easy to consume — quick, digestible, and light — but layered with real emotions and observations.

That balance between authenticity and humor is what defines my content now. It’s not just about laughs — it’s about giving people a little relief, a little validation, and sometimes, even a little courage to think differently about their work life.

Bio

Anmol Garg is a stand-up comedian, content creator, and the voice behind the viral persona Corporate Babaji—a satirical guide through the maze of modern office life. 

Once a software engineer at IBM and later a startup founder, Anmol found his true calling in comedy, where he fuses humor with hard-hitting truths about workplace culture. With over 800K followers across platforms and a growing fanbase of overworked employees, his reels are both hilarious and painfully relatable. 

Whether it’s corporate jargon, performance reviews, or LinkedIn hustle culture, Anmol’s sharp wit and authenticity have made him a trusted voice for India’s stressed-out workforce.

Follow Anmol on Instagram

Interviewed By Irene Elina Eldhose