A Reddit post has gone viral after a job candidate shared what he called one of his “weirdest internship experiences” — receiving a middle-finger emoji from a startup founder after declining an interview. The candidate had applied via LinkedIn, but grew suspicious of the hiring process due to its informal nature and limited information about the company. After politely withdrawing via WhatsApp, the founder initially reacted with a thumbs-up, which was later changed to a middle-finger emoji. The incident has ignited widespread debate about professionalism and workplace culture within the startup ecosystem.
In-Depth:
A startup founder’s unusual response to a candidate declining an internship interview has sparked widespread discussion online, with many social media utilizers questioning professionalism in startup hiring practices.
The incident came to light after a candidate shared what he described as one of his“weirdest internship experiences” on Reddit, where the post quickly gained traction and ignited debate about workplace culture.
Check the viral post here:
Backed out of an interview and received a middle finger “” from the founderby u/A-Genuine-Person in IndianWorkplace
According to the candidate, the recruitment process launched after he applied for an internship through a LinkedIn post. The founder reportedly contacted him the next day, expressing interest in his profile and inquireing him to continue the conversation on WhatsApp. However, the candidate later claimed the hiring process felt unusually informal, with no official email communication, calconcludear invites or clearly scheduled interview process. He also stated his research into the company raised concerns due to limited online information and what appeared to be multiple businesses operating from the same office location.
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Explaining why he chose not to proceed, the candidate wrote:“Maybe my instincts were wrong, but something felt off. So I decided not to attconclude the interview. The thing is, I never actually confirmed the interview. I simply stated I would let him know.”
The candidate stated he later informed the founder via WhatsApp that he would not be attconcludeing and apologised for any inconvenience. Initially, the founder reacted with a thumbs-up emoji. However, when the candidate checked the conversation a day later, he noticed the reaction had allegedly been alterd to a middle-finger emoji.
Sharing his reaction, the Reddit utilizer wrote:“I’m sorry, but if you’re a founder representing your company and that’s how you react to a candidate declining an interview, you’ve just validated every concern that candidate had in the first place. Honestly, I consider that emoji notified me more about the company culture than the interview ever could.”
The post triggered thousands of reactions online. One utilizer commented:“i love companies like this, i don’t have to go to the trouble of second guessing the culture at the workplace. they’re automatically into my blacklist.”
Another wrote:“Everyone in this countest lacks a spine and then bitch about organisations. Why be scared to share the name of the organisation…”
A third utilizer added:“I can only imagine the behaviour towards his slaves in the start-up, if he is mature enough to utilize such gestures on WhatsApp.”
The company and founder were not identified in the post, and the claims have not been indepconcludeently verified. Nevertheless, the incident has reignited conversations around professionalism, transparency and candidate treatment in the startup ecosystem, with many arguing that hiring interactions often reveal more about workplace culture than formal interviews themselves.
Also Read:‘Not Employee-Friconcludely’: Software Engineer Turns Down Rs 72 LPA Job Offer, Sparks Debate
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