LemonLime CEO Apologizes After 7 Applicants Got Tattoos for Job Interviews
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Jul 31
LemonLime CEO Apologizes After 7 Applicants Got Tattoos for Job Interviews
3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Jul 31
Summary
Seven people got tattoos at a LemonLime event after the startup offered instant job interviews, prompting CEO Jordan Zietz to apologize and say he would cover tattoo removal.
Zietz said he had “messed up,” adding that all attendees received interviews regardless of whether they were tattooed and that participants chose their own designs.
His account quickly ran into disputes: he texted that no one got the company logo, but one attendee said “almost everyone” did and another said he saw at least one lemon tattoo.
The stunt was pitched in a now-deleted LinkedIn post as a way to find people “just as crazy as we are,” then drew criticism that tying interviews to permanent body art was exploitative and legally risky.
LemonLime is a San Francisco no-code AI startup backed by Y Combinator’s $500,000 program, putting the episode in the broader pattern of attention-grabbing tactics among crowded AI startups.