An AI startup's tattoo-for-an-interview stunt set off a Silicon Valley backlash. Now the founder is apologizing.

Tattoos, institution logos, and deleted apologies — ohio my.

A Y Combinator-backed startup founder is successful basking h2o aft saying his institution would connection job interviews to anyone who sewage a tattoo of its logo astatine a statement successful San Francisco past weekend.

Jordan Zietz, the cofounder of the mini AI automation startup LemonLime, wrote astir the stunt successful a since-deleted X station connected Tuesday.

"7 group near pinch caller ink," Zietz wrote connected X. "That's really you get a occupation successful 2026."

He wrote a longer station connected LinkedIn, besides since deleted, that featured a photograph of a female getting a tattoo connected her correct arm. That female was Dimple Amitha Garuadapuri, who told Business Insider it was posted without her consent. She asked Zietz to return it down.

"By the clip he had responded, aggregate trending screenshots were already circulating connected X pinch hundreds of thousands of views," Garuadapuri wrote.

Zietz has since posted and deleted aggregate apologies. In his astir caller one, he wrote that the institution "messed up."

"I should person understood the unit and powerfulness move created by connecting tattoos to hiring," he wrote.

When Business Insider asked Zietz whether he offered interviews to the tattoo recipients, he responded, "Yes, we did." He later did not show up for an question and reply and did not respond to a database of questions.

Tattoo fallout

Zietz's startup is small. Founded this year, it was portion of YC's Summer 2026 batch. It has 5 labor and nary unfastened listings connected nationalist occupation boards.

The backlash to Zietz's posts, however, was big. A screenshot of his posts circulated connected the subreddit r/LinkedInLunatics, wherever commenters called the connection "Orwellian" and "dystopian." An X station lamenting that the "job marketplace cannot beryllium this cooked" sewage 13,000 likes.

It besides drew responses from immoderate large Silicon Valley names, for illustration Anduril CEO Palmer Luckey, who said Zeitz shouldn't apologize.

"The critics will ne'er beryllium satisfied," he wrote.

Over the adjacent 48 hours, Zietz posted astatine slightest 2 apologies online.

"We beryllium everyone an apology," Zietz wrote astatine the opening of an X station that has besides since been deleted, adding that the move was "reckless."

Zietz followed that station up pinch different one, which he didn't delete. He called the "company stunt" a lawsuit of "poorly exercised judgment."

"We've taken the posts down and person spoken to everyone who participated. We're besides fresh to screen associated removal costs pinch anyone facing immoderate delayed regret," he said.

In that apology, Zietz wrote that nary 1 astatine the statement was asked to get a institution logo tattoo.

Garuadapuri told Business Insider that the event's tattoo creator told her she "had to get 1 of the approved designs." (Garuadapuri said she "went retired of my measurement to inquire to get thing personal.")

"All of the designs successful beforehand of the tattoo creator were of lemons and limes," Garuadapuri wrote. "While I was there, 2 group sewage Lemonlime tattoos and 1 different personification sewage a individual tattoo."

LemonLime threw the July 25 statement arsenic an unofficial after-party to YC's Startup School. Billed connected Luma arsenic "YC x LemonLime — Calling All Crazy Builders," it sold retired and drew 173 people.

The listing promised everyone would time off "with a surprise" and warned that the hosts "might not beryllium allowed to big this ever again." It did not mention tattoos.

Photographs shared pinch Business Insider show the company's connection printed connected posters taped to the venue walls. A 2nd poster offered different incentive: The group down the 3 most-liked LinkedIn posts astir LemonLime by 10 p.m. could subordinate the squad connected a skydiving trip.

As startups compete successful an progressively crowded AI market, galore are turning to social media stunts. While immoderate garner interest, others person blowback. The New York subway ads made by Friend, an AI wearables company, are a classical example.

"There's nary clever mentation here," Zietz wrote successful his apology. "I sewage carried away, and I was wrong."