A social media post describing the brutal hiring reality at a US-based startup has gone massively viral. It has sparked a heated debate about the value of elite degrees. It also questions the role of luck in job hunting. The user questions whether chasing a high-paying tech job still makes sense in 2026.
The post, shared on X, described a scenario where a US founder received 6,840 applications for just three software engineering positions. Candidates included graduates from IITs and Ivy League universities.
The founder’s approach was strikingly blunt. She planned to randomly select 20 candidates for interviews. If no suitable match was found, she said she’d randomly pick another 20.
The person sharing the post concluded with a warning that has clearly struck a nerve: “Your resume is worth nothing in 2026. Good places have competition you have never seen before.”
“Startup is less risky than finding a high-paying job at a company,” he added.
Social media reaction
The responses poured in fast and from all directions. One user says he has personally landed 20 interviews in the United States as an international student. He did it simply by building projects in public. The user argues that visibility matters far more than a polished CV.
Another points out that entry-level software engineering roles are currently drowning in application volume. That makes even strong candidates nearly invisible.
A third user is more direct, saying the entire outcome now comes down to luck rather than merit.
“See, I’ve been saying this. It’s lucky, guys. It’s that f*cking Luck,” the user writes.
Not everyone agreed with the startup vs job framing in the original post. Several users pushed back, noting that startups carry significant risks. Most startups fail, and income stability is far from guaranteed, they argue.
“True, but startups aren’t automatically ‘less risky.’ Most fail, and income stability can be a real concern depending on your situation,” wrote one user.
Others saw a deeper structural problem at play. One user argues that STEM companies have systematically rigged hiring in their favour. Another observes that referrals still quietly determine outcomes in a way that raw applications simply cannot overcome.
“It depends on you whether you choose be in the competition and do a little different from everyone and get out of that competitive zone,” came from another.