A Silicon Valley AI startup founder has apologised after offering job interviews to people willing to get tattoos at a company event, admitting the stunt was “reckless” and showed poor judgement.
LemonLime founder Jordan Zietz hosted what he described as the “most unhinged” Y Combinator Startup School afterparty at the company’s San Francisco office last week, aiming to attract the “most insanely out-there people in the world”.
As part of the event, the startup hired a tattoo artist and offered an “instant interview” to anyone who agreed to get a tattoo.
In a now-deleted LinkedIn post, 24-year-old Stanton graduate Zietz said the offer was for anyone who got a “LemonLime tattoo”, although he later said participants could choose any design.
Seven people received permanent tattoos at the event.
“We brought an actual tattoo artist to our party and offered an instant interview to anyone who got a LemonLime tattoo,” Zietz wrote.
“We are bold, we take risks, and we do things that haven’t been done before. Being committed to our mission is paramount. Prerequisites for building the future.”
The post quickly attracted criticism, with many accusing the company of using job opportunities to pressure people into making a permanent decision.
“The job market cannot be this cooked that kids have to get permanent tattoos to get interviews,” one user posted on X.
“Imagine getting branded with the LemonLime logo for a job interview, then getting rejected,” another wrote.
‘Got carried away’
Zietz later apologised, acknowledging that linking tattoos with employment opportunities created an inappropriate power dynamic.
“What I thought would be a fun, memorable way to meet people was, in reality, reckless and instead came across as tying a permanent tattoo to a job opportunity, which showed poor judgement,” Zietz posted on LinkedIn.
“I should have understood the pressure and power dynamic created by connecting tattoos to hiring.”
Jordan Zietz' original LinkedIn post. Image: LinkedIn
Zietz said the company had contacted everyone who received a tattoo and would cover removal costs for anyone who regretted their decision.
“Regardless of said intent, turning a celebration of personalised art into a company stunt was poorly exercised judgement,” he said.
“We’ve taken the posts down and have spoken to everyone who participated.
“I’m sorry to the people we put in that position, and to everyone who expected better from me.
“There’s no clever explanation here. I got carried away, and I was wrong.”
Zietz maintained that participants were not required to get the company logo tattooed. However, one attendee featured in a photo from the event said that while she chose a personal tattoo, “almost everyone else” had received the LemonLime logo.
‘Disgusting’
The apology did little to stop criticism, with commenters questioning the judgement behind the stunt and calling for greater mentorship for young startup founders.
One commenter said the lack of mentorship and the new founder culture was “disgusting”.
Another said the company had shown “exceptionally poor judgement”.
“There’s no world in which asking another person to drop their boundaries (physical, emotional, mental) to prove their ‘hustle’ is ever going to result in success,” they said.
“This is why co-founders need to surround themselves with experienced professionals who can tap them on the shoulder and say, ‘this is a bad idea’.”
Seven days a week
Those who did get a tattoo in the hope of landing a job at LemonLime should be prepared to work seven days a week.
In a post from three weeks ago, Zietz said that everyone on his team shows up to work every single day.
“Our entire team shows up to the office seven days a week,” he said.
“It is no secret that early-stage startups are a grind.
“Over a dozen applicants thus far have withdrawn after stating that they do not work past 5pm or on weekends. Lol.”
LemonLime describes its product as an AI team that learns a business and automates repetitive work “in a single click”.
