Kyun nahi ho rahi kamai?
Humari nahi ho rahi bhai, Physics Wallah ji ki toh taabad tod chal rahi hai 🙂
Traditionally, Indian society has interpreted wealth in terms of decades of fame, worldwide celebrity status, and broad commercial activities across many different types of business.
You know, these are the usual kind of flexes.
But new examples are beginning to change that model, and headlining the change is our “kyun nahi ho rahi padhai” mascot.
Alakh Pandey, founder of PhysicsWallah, has reportedly achieved a net worth of ₹14,510 crore, exceeding the wealth of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has a net worth of ₹12,490 crore, according to the Hurun India Rich List 2025.
Aura farming on top, bhai.
How did bhai’s aura farming begin?
Alakh Pandey began his career as a teacher. He began by giving classes at coaching centres in Allahabad for which he charged only ₹125 per session to subsidise his living expenses. He faced significant hurdles in the early years of his career, but did he give up, NAHHH!
One of the more flex-worthy stories that has gone viral on social media, states that a coaching centre expelled him after his first class, stating that his teaching techniques disrupted their system, and rather than be discouraged by this, it motivated him to become an individual teacher.
Alakh Pandey began offering personal tuition and his ability to explain complicated subjects in simple terms soon became well-known. Within a short time, his classes grew into one of the largest (in terms of numbers) tuition classes in Allahabad, and he gained the trust of those students not only as a teacher but as a mentor.
Though he reached this point, he was still struggling to be happy.
Us bhai us.
He was burnt out and was beginning to self-doubt. With savings of about ₹12 lakh, he was contemplating preparing for the UPSC exam and leaving the teaching profession.
Then came YouTube, where Pandey changed his approach by using a camera to film himself giving lectures and posting them on YouTube. His set-up consisted of a simple whiteboard and he did not put a lot of emphasis on the level of quality of the production, but rather consistently maintained the same message and clarity, so that his students in India could understand what he was teaching them.
Students from all over India responded to Mr. Pandey’s videos and began to watch them, ANDDDD HOW!!!!
Many of these students were from smaller towns in India and could not afford fees charged by expensive coaching centres. Therefore, the students appreciated Mr. Pandey’s ability to teach in a relatable and easily understood manner.
Pandey ji, waah waah!
This experience allowed Alakh Pandey to create the basis for PhysicsWallah, and it was built based on the trust and belief of those initial students. It has developed into a company based on affordability and scale, which enabled Pandey to reach many students who might otherwise have been excluded from traditional educational systems. Therefore, the level of trust that he developed with his students resulted in him having a strong base of users.
Bhai ka Salman Khan se loyal fan base hai, and we’re not even exaggerating.
Let’s talk MONEY!
PhysicsWallah grew rapidly over a relatively short period of time and is experiencing strong growth, as evidenced by the rapid increase in revenue and decrease in total losses. The total revenue for PhysicsWallah has increased from ₹1,940 crores to ₹2,886 crores during the last year, while the company’s total loss decreased from ₹1,131 crores to ₹243 crores.
This growth and financial performance have also significantly impacted Pandey’s overall net worth, increasing it by 223% in just one year. In addition, Prateek Maheshwari, Mr. Pandey’s co-founder, has also experienced a dramatic increase in his overall net worth, reaching a total of ₹14,500 crores.
These numbers will place Alakh Pandey amongst the fastest wealth creators in India. Bro is the final boss of loyalty.
Wait, has he really surpassed Shah Rukh Khan?
SRK is an emotion, an actor, a jaan and our full jahaan 🙂
Shah Rukh Khan built his empire over a period of forty-plus years. Through his various ventures in Bollywood movies, endorsements from brands worldwide, production houses, and ownership of extensive real estate holdings, SRK is currently considered one of the richest sports franchises in the world. In addition to all this, the success of his most recent film, Jawan, which grossed over ₹1,160 crore internationally, and his other business interests have kept Shah Rukh Khan financially solid.
SRK has amassed wealth through several categories of income, such as actors, filmmakers, and entertainment businesses, so overall, he continues to have substantial financial resources. In contrast, Alakh Pandey’s fortune comes mainly from his position as a majority shareholder of PhysicsWallah. This means there is a basic difference in how their respective fortunes are built.
While Alakh Pandey is reporting greater total net worth than Khan, the fundamental structure of the two men’s fortunes differs greatly, based upon the diversification of Khan’s financial portfolio compared to Pandey’s concentrated holdings.
The Value of Money vs. Equity-Based Wealth
The true value of Pandey’s total net worth is entirely dependent upon his ownership stake in PhysicsWallah, which is reflected in the company’s valuation as it advances further into the market. As the value of PhysicsWallah increases (along with its subsequent stock prices), so too will the value of Pandey’s holdings.
Public discussion on various online forums, such as Reddit (saamuhik gossip club) have clearly identified this discrepancy between their respective wealth valuation methodologies.
For example, one forum user pointed out: “His total net worth is dependent upon the PW IPO, it’s essentially just a valuation, not something that he could access as cash.”
On top of that, another individual noted, “his company could have a price drop if Pandey sells all of his stock,” possibly leading to substantial losses of personal net worth due to reduced company valuation. Some commentators even commented about possible bubbles forming as a result of the volatility of valuations within startups.
While many commenters were admiring and inspirational, they did echo similar sentiments.
One comment indicated, “This is basically saying, even if he stopped working for now, his family would continue making a living for 7 generations.”
Another comment expressed that Pandey ‘s accomplishments reflect what is necessary to be successful: “Patience, Faith in Oneself, and Hard Work, all three are the key ingredients for living.”
Through these examples, it can be seen that the general public do not simply concentrate on numbers; rather, they also think critically regarding what those numbers mean in context.
Future Uncertainty Regarding the IPO of PhysicsWallah
Presently, PhysicsWallah is planning a substantial IPO estimated to be worth about ₹3,480 crore. The completion of this IPO will help establish the future trajectory of the company.
If the IPO raises sufficient capital, it could very well result in additional capital for the valuation and add to Pandey’s liquidity in terms of access to cash and equity holdings as a result of partial conversion of equity for cash.