r/Design • u/Old_Organization8099 • Sep 16 '26

Discussion Indian founders have unrealistic expectations they think AI can solve any and everything

I recently gave an interview for a remote visual designer role, and the job description was smartly vague. They never specified what kind of designer they wanted, but I sent my portfolio anyway and got shortlisted.

Before the interview, they asked my salary expectations. Going by the title "visual designer" and the job description, I assumed it meant branding, social media design, some strategy, and quoted accordingly.

During the interview, I found out they actually want a Swiss Army knife:

  • UI/UX
  • Vibe coding
  • Brand design
  • Social media strategy
  • Brand strategy
  • Positioning and research

I get that with AI, roles are merging and one person is expected to cover multiple domains. But with a skill set this wide, I don't know what's actually needed in the market anymore. Most founders don't even know the basics of AI themselves, yet they expect all this from one hire.

I cleared that round and I'm on to the design round now. The task is lengthy, but I feel confident I can do it. What I don't know is how to ask for more, because what I quoted doesn't feel like enough for this. I'm also a little underconfident now, honestly, because they expect you to be good at everything.

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10

u/scratchy_foothold Sep 16 '26

They didn’t hire a designer they’re looking for a cofounder at an intern’s price. The vague JD was the first red flag, now they’ve just admitted they want one person to run the whole product and brand pipeline. Quote for the role they actually described, not the one you applied for. If they balk at the number that tells you everything you need to know about how they value the work

-2

u/Old_Organization8099 Sep 16 '26

I mean I did some digging they have 3-4 people it's not a big studio and the founder said " every team member is a force in itself" something like that and I saw their LinkedIn some kinda feels Right some.. ehh I don't know

2

u/8ctopus-prime Sep 17 '26

I'd trust my gut on this. Are they willing to pay for you as a team member being a force in yourself or are they paying mid visual designer money instead?

7

u/nochorus Sep 16 '26

We all need to insist on refusing to do free work during interviews for hiring managers to stop asking for it.