$50 for $100? How this Indian-origin executive negotiated with a knife-wielding mugger on his first day in US

Indian-origin executive Sharran Srivatsaa shared an interesting story from his first day in America, recalling how he negotiated with a man who pulled a knife on him.

“See people first, and situations become negotiable,” Srivatsaa wrote on his Instagram account. He shared a series of posts in a storytelling manner detailing the encounter.

“True story. A man pulled a knife on me my first day in America. I was 18, alone, and broke,” he wrote.

He added: “He told me to give him all of my money, and at the time, I only had $100 on me. In a stroke of either madness or genius I started negotiating with my assailant.”

Srivatsaa said he approached the situation with empathy. “I told him I knew he didn't want to hurt me or anyone else. I empathized with him, acknowledging he'd probably fallen on hard times,” he explained. He then offered an unusual proposal.

“My proposal was I'd give him my $100 bill if he'd give me $50 back. That way I could get to school and he wouldn't go to jail for assault,” Srivatsaa said.

The man agreed and returned two crumpled $20s and a $5, telling him, "You're the weirdest person I've ever mugged.”

Finally, Srivatsaa shared the lesson it taught him: “Even in fear, empathy gives you leverage. In every conversation, the other person already has an internal monologue playing on a loop."

He added: “Your job isn't to fight that story. It's to join it and help steer it. If you can see through their eyes, you'll never need to push to be understood.”