Jordan Zietz, CEO of AI startup LemonLime, asked potential job candidates to make a lifelong commitment to the company before he'd even offer them an interview.
All they had to do was tattoo the company's logo on their body.
He even posted about his insane power trip on LinkedIn:
7 people left our YC afterparty with permanent tattoos.
We hosted a YC Startup School afterparty at the LemonLime office to meet exceptional people, and find out which of them are just as crazy as we are.
That's why we brought an actual tattoo artist to our party and offered an instant interview to anyone who got a LemonLime tattoo.
We are bold, we take risks, and we do things that haven't been done before. Being committed to our mission is paramount. Pre-requisites for building the future.
If you're reaching out to us to apply for a job, you might want to take notes.
I love LemonLime.
The post has since been deleted.
The San Francisco Standard reports,
Seven people took the company up on the offer, according to CEO Jordan Zietz. The logo resembles a wedge of lemon, or perhaps Pac-Man mid-bite β a permanent reminder of a company that, according to its website, βlearns your business and then automates your team's busywork in a single click.'
Here's the LemonLime logo:
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Needless to say, netizens were happy to point out Zietz's errors, using the most terrifying word corporations know: Litigation.
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Anyway, Zietz immediately backtracked his claims on X, saying no one had to get a LemonLime tattoo, candidates could get any tattoo they wanted, and he would pay for tattoo removal if there were regrets.
He also said everyone got an interview regardless of their inked status.
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As you can see from this Community Note, Zietz had some people arguing against this new post he made.
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Honestly, recruiting people willing to get tattoos makes a lot of sense for a startup trying to break into today's glut of AI companies.
These are the sorts of people who can make bad decisions and stick with them after all.
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