McDonald's India Controversy: 'Falsely Uses Our Brand Name,' Company Claims 'Content Entirely Fabricated'

Reacting to a post that went viral aping the bonafide X handle of McDonald’s India allegedly exposing an workplace dispute, the company clarified that it "has no association with a social media post currently circulating online".

"It falsely uses our brand name and was never posted from our official social media handle. There are clear discrepancies in the image, that indicate this content is entirely fabricated," McDonald’s India (West & South) said in a statement.

A series of posts from an alleged fake account claimed that an intern had not been paid for months.

The social media outburts immediately went viral as it initially appeared that the verified McDonald’s India X account was compromised and turned into an unexpected platform for an alleged workplace dispute.

The thead went to accuse a certain boss named Amit Joshi of withholding the intern’s salary and suggested that the complained that non-payment of her dues had forced the worker to take up additional jobs.

The unusual posts quickly grabbed attention online, with screenshots of allegations against Amit Joshi going viral. The account detailed the intern’s alleged financial struggles and even claiming that they were managing multiple McDonald’s accounts across Asia.

Intern allegedly took over account to raise salary issue

According to the posts, the intern had allegedly been working without receiving a salary since December 2025. The account claimed that the situation forced the worker to find two additional jobs to support themselves.

One of the posts alleged that the intern was simultaneously handling customer support and delivery work while also trading memecoins in an attempt to earn money.

The posts further claimed that losses from memecoin trading had compounded the person’s financial difficulties, with the intern allegedly struggling to afford food.

Posts accuse boss Amit Joshi of withholding pay

Amit Joshi was named in the posts as the boss allegedly responsible for the unpaid salary. Another update from the account claimed that the intern had actually been waiting for payment since May, creating some uncertainty over the exact period of alleged non-payment.

The account also appealed to the online community for support, portraying the intern as being under severe financial pressure.

McDonald’s India account posts bizarre final update

The situation took another unusual turn when the account later posted: “Thanks, I have claimed fees!”

The sequence led to speculation that the McDonald’s India account may have been compromised or taken over to publicise the alleged salary dispute. However, the available posts by themselves do not establish who controlled the account or independently confirm that an intern actually hacked it.

The claims also do not provide details about the alleged employment arrangement, the amount of salary owed or any response from Amit Joshi.

The incident has nevertheless sparked considerable curiosity online, combining allegations of unpaid wages, multiple jobs and a possible social media account takeover in an unusually public workplace dispute.

Published on: Sunday, September 06, 2026, 12:45 PM IST