'I rejected 13 out of 15 engineers': AI startup founder brags about turning away coders for avoiding AI. Netizens say, 'you are easy to fool'
Published on: Sept. 29, 2025, 8:37 p.m. | Source: The Economic Times
A New York-based AI startup founder sparked controversy on LinkedIn by rejecting 13 of 15 software engineers for not having built AI projects, despite strong coding skills. Praising a young candidate who created an AI budgeting tool over a weekend, he emphasized that initiative and hands-on experimentation matter more than formal experience. While some netizens criticized the approach as superficial, others supported the AI-first mindset, reflecting the growing importance of practical AI skills in tech.
