Emotional Sachin Bansal takes to Facebook to bid adieu to Flipkart staff, says his 'work here is done'

With US retailer Walmart Inc's acquisition of 77 per cent stake in Flipkart for about USD 16 billion, the 11-year old Indian e-commerce firm also took a decision to part ways with its co-founder Sachin Bansal, who along with Binny Bansal founded the company in 2007. Sachin Bansal met Binny Bansal in 2005 at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. They are not related. Their paths crossed at Amazon too, where both worked for this Jeff Bezos led company. Now, after selling his stake and exiting the Bengaluru-based company, an emotional Sachin took to Facebook to pen his thoughts on what is on his mind at this transformational moment for him personally and about his feelings on cutting his links with 'Flipsters'. On what he wants to do going forward, he said that he plans to catch up on gaming and also brush up his coding skills, besides finishing a few pending personal projects.
 
Sachin and Binny began by selling books when they founded Flipkart, and then expanded to sell music, movies, games, electronics and mobiles. The first book the company sold was John Wood’s Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. Then, the e-commerce company launched logistics arm Ekart. 
 
Talking about his journey with Flipkart, Sachin in his Facebook post said, "I'll be taking some long time off and focus on finishing a few personal projects which I haven't been able to find time for. Will catch up on gaming (and see what kids are playing these days) and brush up on my coding skills." 
 
"Sadly my work here is done and after 10 years, it's time to hand over the baton and move on from Flipkart", he adds, stating that he will be "cheering from the outside". He urged Flipkart team to continue with the momentum, Sachin said, "...But I'll be watching and cheering from the outside? Flipsters, you better continue to do a good job!" 
 
He recalls the cherished relationships and "amazing experiences", saying Flipkart had truly upheld customer centricity and that he got to work with the best people, and reminisced "We took on some of the biggest challenges and solved many complex problems for India." 

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Earlier, in an email to employees, Binny Bansal said Sachin and Flipkart are “parting ways”. “Over the last 11 years, Flipkart has grown to be one of the most recognised brands, and the No 1 ecommerce platform in India. None of this would have been possible without the vision and leadership of Sachin,” Binny Bansal wrote.