What if a company liked your skills, approved of your portfolio and was offering exactly the salary you wanted, but still refused to interview you?
That is what happened to a 24-year-old software developer from Uttar Pradesh, whose search for a remote job took an unexpected turn. A US-based founder reportedly liked his work and experience, but decided not to move forward after watching his introduction video.
The reason, according to the developer, was not his technical ability but his accent. Tushar Verma, a developer from Muzaffarnagar, says he was rejected for a remote role because the recruiter wanted someone with an American accent.
Verma had been looking for a new opportunity after his previous employer faced budget constraints. Like many job seekers in the tech industry, he was actively applying through platforms such as X, Wellfound and Y Combinator, hoping to land a remote role with an international company.
Then came an opportunity that seemed to tick all the right boxes.
In a post on X, Verma revealed how the conversation unfolded. He wrote, “Got rejected for an interview due to my accent! Recently I cold Dm’ed a founder, and he saw my wellfound AI interview video, but he rejected me to even have an interview even though he seemed to like my portfolio and skillset. Wild times.”
His post quickly caught attention, with many users expressing surprise that such feedback would still be given in 2026.
One user said, “What this still happens. I watch your YouTube pretty good accent able to understand clearly.” Another added, “Trust me it probably was not worth your time. These thoughts really reflect what type of culture is present there all the very best.”
Some users said the experience sounded familiar, “Lol, this has happened with me too.”
Another commented, “That is crazy. I have never heard a reply like that. I mean, it sounds very racist to me. I talk to people outside India all the time, but never heard anyone speak like this.”
Speaking to hindustantimes.com, Verma said, “I generally apply to 20-30 jobs per day as it helps me to write unique cover letters for each company. Also, I can research the company I’m applying to more thoroughly. This includes cold dm to founders and companies as well.”
While searching for hiring posts on X, he came across a founder looking for a junior developer and decided to send a direct message. The founder replied later that night, and the conversation moved ahead quickly. “So I sent him a dm and he replied to me at midnight, so I replied to him in about 7 minutes of his ‘hii’ below my cover letter message,” Verma added.
According to Verma, the founder said he was hiring for a junior developer role with a monthly salary of $4,000. Verma said, “He told me he is looking for a junior developer with a $4000 (approx. Rs 3.8 lakh) per month salary. And that’s the exact amount I was looking for.”
Everything appeared to be going well. The founder asked for an introduction video, and Verma shared one he had already prepared, along with a link to his portfolio website. After reviewing the material, the founder reportedly praised his work but raised an issue with the way he spoke English.
The American founder told Verma, “Okay, as you know, I am looking for someone who has good communication. Like American accent. But you know your accent is very strong like shi.”
Verma said he was surprised by the response, especially because he had already worked with US-based companies for two years. He explained, “I told him that I was working in US-based companies for the past 2 years then… he said we need an American accent only who can communicate easily, I mean I can speak decent English. I’ll put myself in the intermediate category. But yeah, anyways. That’s the whole story behind it, and I posted it on my Twitter so that people can be aware of such experiences.”