By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-30 20:45:52 | Updated at 2026-08-10 17:27:47
1 week ago
A tech founder has been forced to apologize after his company went viral for all the wrong reasons over a free tattoo stunt.
This week, an AI company called LemonLime went viral after the brand hired a tattoo artist for their afterparty at startup accelerator Y Combinator's Startup School.
However, it wasn't just the tattoo application that caused controversy.
In a since-deleted LinkedIn post, which later went viral on X, founder Jordan Zietz revealed that they offered an 'instant interview' to anyone who got the company's logo tattooed on their body.
'We are bold, we take risks, and we do things that haven't been done before,' Zietz's LinkedIn post read, in part.
The post was accompanied by a photo of someone getting a tattoo, who was later revealed to be Dimple Amitha Garuadapuri, by the hired artist.
The LinkedIn post spread like wildfire on X (formerly Twitter) when it was posted by AI platform engineer Sammy Tourani, who wrote: 'The job market cannot be this cooked that kids have to get permanent tattoos to get interviews.'
The stunt drew tons of backlash, with many slamming it as exploitative and not funny.
Tech founder Jordan Zietz was forced to apologize after his company went viral for all the wrong reasons over a free tattoo stunt
This week, an AI company called LemonLime went viral after the brand hired a tattoo artist for their afterparty at startup accelerator Y Combinator's Startup School
'I don't find this funny. I find it really really sad and I'll not shy away from saying that this is exploitation! You're exploiting the genuine desperation for fun and some likes,' one X user wrote.
Another agreed: 'Nah this is disgusting. No company should ever require this.'
The LinkedIn post was later removed, and Zietz took to X to apologize, clearing up many of the rumors.
Zietz wrote: 'I messed up. At our YC afterparty, we offered free tattoos and said we'd be happy to interview anyone who got one.
'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 job opportunity, which showed poor judgement.
'Even though participants chose their own tattoos and no one was asked to get our logo, I should have understood the pressure and power dynamic created by connecting tattoos to hiring.
'Regardless of said intent, turning a celebration of personalized art into a company stunt was poorly exercised judgement. We've taken the posts down and have spoken to everyone who participated.
In a since-deleted LinkedIn post, which later went viral on X, founder Jordan Zietz revealed that they offered an 'instant interview' to anyone who got the company's logo tattooed on their body
'We're also ready to cover associated removal costs with anyone facing any delayed regret. 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. For the facts: interviews were available to everyone regardless.'
Garuadapuri, the woman pictured in the photo of the LinkedIn post, also took to X to clear some up some misconceptions.
She explained that she had gotten a regular tattoo and not the LemonLime logo.
'I'm trending on X with 1.5M+ views. For a fake story,' her X post read.
'To clarify 1) I did NOT get a tattoo of the LemonLime logo. I got a personal one & I love it 2) YES, almost everyone else got a LemonLime logo tattoo. It's wild. 3) NO, I am not seeking a job. I run my own femtech startup.'
Garuadapuri is the founder of her own startup, Stri Health, which is meant to fix the 'data gap' in PCOS.
