US AI startup LemonLime issues apology after applicants get logo tattooed for a job interview

Forget polishing your resume — the latest way to nab a tech job? Get the company’s logo tattooed on your skin.

This was the wild move made by a start-up in San Francisco, who have faced a torrent of online backlash after revealing seven applicants had gone under the needle to score a job interview.

LemonLime is an AI-based company known for helping small business embrace automation.

On Tuesday, CEO Jordan Zietz shared a post about an event held at the company’s headquarters over the weekend — with the 24-year-old revealing the mind-boggling way they determined which attendees were “just as crazy as we are”.

“We brought an actual tattoo artist to our party and offered an instant interview to anyone who got a LemonLime tattoo,” the post said.

“We are bold, we take risks, and we do things that haven’t been done before.

“Being committed to our mission is paramount — if you’re reaching out to us to apply for a job, take notes.”

A screenshot shared of the LinkedIn post quickly went viral — with many people across the globe slamming the company for the “dystopian” move.

“This really should be illegal,” one person said.

“You’re exploiting their desperation for a job for fun and some likes,” another said.

One user accused the startup of “branding applicants like cattle”, while another called it “more dystopian than any Black Mirror episode”.

With thousands of people lambasting the stunt online, the CEO officially addressed concerns on Thursday — admitting to followers that he “messed up”.

“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 a job opportunity, which shows poor judgement,” the 24-year-old wrote.

“Even though 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 the intent, turning a celebration of personalised art into a company stunt was poorly exercised judgement.”

He revealed the company has since removed all posts relating to the tattoos, with the CEO saying the company is “ready to cover associated removal costs with anyone facing 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 — I got carried away and I was wrong.”

While some were accepting of the start-up founder’s apology, others were far from convinced.

“You don’t sound very remorseful,” one person said, while another said the explanation given did not fully align with the first post.

The viral discourse over the company’s controversial act didn’t stop with Zietz’ apology, however.

The woman pictured receiving a tattoo in the now-viral LinkedIn post revealed LemonLime had used her image without permission.

Dimple Amitha Garuadapuri is the founder of a women’s health start-up and had not attended the event to get a job interview, but instead as a fellow CEO in the industry.

“I did NOT get a tattoo of the LemonLime logo — I got a personal one and I love it,” she wrote on X.

“YES, almost everyone else got a LemonLime logo tattoo, it’s wild.”