Indian Startup Founder Revokes Rs 22 Lakh Job Offer After Candidate's "Derogatory" Religious Remarks
Mohammed Ahmed Bhati, founder of Jobbie, shared on LinkedIn that the candidate had applied for a role after seeing Jobbie's viral Reddit post about conducting 450 interviews for 12,000 applicants without making any selections. Mr Bhati noted that the candidate was impressive, even creating his resume with Jobbie and suggesting ways to improve the platform. However, he decided to rescind the offer after discovering the candidate's comments, citing the importance of respect and values.
"Impressed with the interview, we were ready to roll out an offer above our budget. But during the final background check, we found recent public comments that were derogatory towards religious communities. No matter how skilled someone is, respect and basic decency matter to us more. Talent gets you in the door. Values decides if you stay," he wrote along with the screenshots of both the offer and rejection letter.
See the post here:
The rejection letter reads, "As mentioned earlier, we carried out a routine background check before proceeding with the offer. During this, we came across some recent public posts on LinkedIn that included comments from you, which will deeply hurtthe religious sentiments of certain communities."
The incident has triggered mixed reactions on social media, with some supporting the founder's decision and others criticising it as an overreaction. Some users argued that revoking a job offer based on social media activity reflects the "cancel culture" and immaturity of leaders. Others defended the founder's stance, emphasising the importance of cultural fit and values in the workplace.
One user wrote, "Revoking an offer letter for a professional position based on someone's social media activity goes out to show how this cancel culture can affect an organisation when the wrong people get in leadership positions. And posting it here isn't virtue signalling either. It simply shows how immature and insecure you are as a leader. Good luck finding good candidates."
Another commented, "Were the comments aimed at critiquing a religion/ its practice, or simply made to spite someone? If it's the former, I don't think it's a reasonable ground to revoke an offer."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
42 minutes ago
- Mint
India makes a push for cheaper foreign loans in yen, rupee
India is pressing multilateral development banks (MDBs) to lend more in Japanese yen and Indian rupees in an attempt to reduce borrowing costs and manage exchange rate risks more effectively, two officials aware of the matter said. New Delhi has steadily expanded loans and official development assistance (ODA) in yen to gain from ultra-low interest rates and the rupee's appreciation against the Japanese currency. Many of these loans finance infrastructure and development projects. 'Yen rates remain close to zero, and with the rupee having appreciated significantly against the yen since early 2023, yen borrowings, including through Samurai bonds, have emerged as a compelling option," one of the two officials cited above said, requesting anonymity. Samurai bonds are yen-denominated bonds issued in Japan by foreign entities to raise money. The development assumes significance since MDBs such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) play a central role in global finance, especially in developing economies. These institutions lend in dollar as well as other reserve currencies. ADB, which mainly lends in dollars, has also issued rupee bonds. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) too lends in yen, euro and rupees. The yen is part of IMF's special drawing rights (SDR) basket of currencies, and can be used depending on borrower preference and availability. India is pushing for loans in yen, the second official confirmed, adding "These loans and ODAs are not free, and we pay interest on them. A lot has changed now with India's rise at the global high table, and we are in a better position to negotiate our terms and conditions with the MDBs," said the second person. 'Also, given our past record, India also happens to be very attractive for these lending institutions as well, given our repayment history and the credit profile. We will follow the strategy which is in our best interest," the person added. An ADB spokesperson said the bank has received a handful of requests from India for yen-denominated loans in the last two years, with three such agreements signed in 2023 and 2024. These include the Delhi-Meerut RRTS Tranche 3 (2023), the Nagpur Metro Urban Mobility Project (2024) and the Amaravati Capital City Development Programme (2024). The ADB spokesperson pointed out that despite the rising interest in yen loans, 20 out of 22 sovereign loans signed by ADB in India in 2024 were in dollars. 'ADB's advice to borrowers is to choose the most financially advantageous termsbased on needs and risk exposure of the project and the borrower's overall external debt portfolio," the spokesperson added. Queries emailed to the spokespersons of India's finance ministry, World Bank, AIIB, IMF and Exim Bank remained unanswered. 'India is expected to expand its yen exposure further as part of a calibrated shift to longer-tenure, lower-cost financing to mitigate exchange rate risks. It will also explore greater use of the domestic currency. However, the dollar will remain dominant in the medium term, given its role as the principal global reserve currency," the official cited earlier said. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, yen-denominated liabilities rose to 6.2% of India's total external debt at the end of March 2025, up from 5.8% a year earlier. In absolute terms, this equals $45.6 billion out of the total $736.3 billion in external debt at the end of FY25. India's total external debt rose 10% in FY25. The US dollar still dominated India's external borrowings, accounting for 54.2%, followed by the Indian rupee (31.1%), yen (6.2%), SDR (4.6%), and the euro (3.2%). While the appeal of yen financing is clear, economists caution that since India lacks a deep forex market for the yen, most conversions still happen through cross-rates with the dollar or euro rather than direct market-determined rates, adding layers of complexity. 'Rupee-denominated loans are preferable from a stability standpoint. As for yen borrowings, unless a more efficient and transparent yen market develops, the advantages remain limited. In many cases, dollar- or SDR-denominated loans might still be more practical," said Bhanumurthy N.R., director of the Madras School of Economics. India's yen borrowing strategy is gaining traction across both bilateral and multilateral channels. In FY24 alone, India signed yen loan agreements with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) worth over ¥276 billion (around ₹15,600 crore), funding metro rail, logistics, and renewable energy projects. In FY25, JICA followed up with six ODA agreements worth ¥191.7 billion ( ₹11,181 crore) to support urban transport, water infrastructure, environmental protection, and livelihood programmes, including Delhi Metro Phase IV, Chennai's desalination plant, biodiversity projects in Punjab, and an aquaculture initiative in Assam. A separate ¥84.3 billion loan for Mumbai Metro Line 3 took the year's total to ¥276 billion ( ₹15,655 crore). 'India's push to secure more yen- and rupee-denominated loans from MDBs reflects a prudent effort to lower external borrowing costs while reducing exposure to the volatility of major foreign currencies like the US dollar," said Venkatakrishnan Srinivasan, managing partner at Rockfort Fincap Llp, a financial advisory firm. 'From a bond market and risk perspective, rupee-denominated MDB funding is a strong fit. It eliminates currency mismatch, enhances debt predictability, and aligns well with India's broader strategy of deepening its local currency bond ecosystem. Yen-denominated loans, though historically low-cost, now come with added complexity due to heightened forex volatility and an uncertain interest rate trajectory in Japan," he added.
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
5 districts corner 5L cr realty boom
Ahmedabad: Gujarat's real estate sector attracted Rs 5.03 lakh crore in investments since the implementation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) in 2017. However, a lion's share of 94% of this capital is concentrated in just five districts: Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot, largely driven by rapid urbanisation, better infrastructure, and stronger demand for housing and commercial spaces. In contrast, the remaining 28 districts, which house nearly two-thirds (64%) of Gujarat's population, received only 6% of the total investment. Experts, however, have raised concerns over resource concentration and highlighted the need for more equitable infrastructure growth across Gujarat's smaller towns. According to the latest data released by the Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority (GujRERA), these five urban hubs account for 86% of all registered projects and 89% of the total housing units in the state. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Ahmedabad alone attracted Rs 2.1 lakh crore, or 42% of the total investment, solidifying its position as the state's real estate capital. It also accounted for 31% of registered projects and 35% of all housing units. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo "Ahmedabad has emerged as one of the fastest-growing cities in India due to rapid infrastructure development and job creation," said Dipak Patel, president of CREDAI Gujarat. "Higher education levels and urban migration are also driving real estate growth in large cities. In smaller towns, plotting schemes are more popular, where individuals build their own homes, and these often don't reflect in RERA data. Also, many small projects in small towns do not get registered with RERA so their actual share may be a bit higher. " However, the skewed development of the state limited to urban centres is fairly visible. Drawing on the 2011 Census data, only 36% of Gujarat's population lives in its top five districts, which account for an overwhelming majority of the state's real estate activity. The remaining 64%, spread across smaller towns and rural regions, has seen just a fraction of the investment and project activity. "All other districts collectively account for 16% of project contribution, 6% of investments, and 11% of units, suggesting a dispersed yet modest contribution from remaining regions," the report states, hinting at a widening regional divide in infrastructure development and economic and commercial activities. Since RERA's implementation, Gujarat saw the registration of 15,260 projects covering a carpet area of 13.11 crore sq m, translating into 18.20 lakh housing units. Of these, over 8,400 projects were completed.
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
Free or fee? Parking lots stuck in neutral
Ludhiana: Almost two years have passed since the MC auctioned five parking lots in the city but fresh tenders are nowhere in sight. The civic body initially attributed the delay to the Ludhiana West bypoll. Now, they say that they are waiting for the finance and contracts committee meeting. Officials said that three sites were declared free for parking and it is unclear whether they will be included in the auction. The current parking contractor was hired for one year in October, 2022, but in the absence of an e-auction, he is still serving. Before his demise, former MLA of Ludhiana West, Gurpreet Gogi, made Sarabha Nagar market parking free of charge. When the bypoll was announced, AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora announced the Model Town Extension market and two parking lots as parking fee-free. This leaves the MC with the parking lot in Feroze Gandhi market, the multi-storey parking lot near Mata Rani Chowk, Bhadhaur House, and the remaining parking lots of BRS Nagar. Sources said that the MC prepared a proposal for auction and floated tenders in December last year but the tenders were withdrawn due to certain reasons. Officials said that they will flag the issue in the F&CC meeting, after which a decision will be taken. However, things may not be quite as simple. Members of Feroze Gandhi Market Association also want free parking. Their rationale — If Sarabha Nagar Market and Model Town Extension Market have been declared free for parking, why not them? They claimed to have requested civic authorities to hand over market parking lots to the association, as the lots belong to shopkeepers in the area but the civic body did not act on their requests. Demanding uniformity in parking policy, they asked the MC to make the parking free of charge. MC commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal said, "The decision is pending at the level of the mayor, and she has to take a call about the e-auction." Despite repeated attempts, mayor Inderjit Kaur could not be contacted for comments. Parking is a major issue in the city. With high vehicle density and limited parking space, it is common to see vehicles parked on roadsides. Also, there have been frequent complaints about overcharging and misbehaviour at parking lots managed by the existing contractor. Questions are being raised on the MC for not cancelling the agreement despite receiving complaints. Quotes Parking rates should be genuine so that people park in parking lots but here, people face serious issues. Authorities need to check irregularities Shifali Kapoor | Resident, Bharat Nagar Chowk Authorities hardly care about public grievances. They can check such issues only if they visit the field. Contractors do whatever they want to do Inderpreet Singh | Resident, Sarabha Nagar 2022 auction: 6 parking fetched Rs 3.57 crore The MC auctioned six parking lots for Rs 3.57 crore in 2022. Of these, Feroze Gandhi Market and multi-storey parking lots in Zone A were auctioned for Rs 1.29 crore and Rs1.11 crore respectively while Bhadhaur House and Sarabha Nagar parking lots were auctioned for Rs 4.71 lakh and Rs30.4 lakh. The BRS Nagar parking lot was auctioned for Rs 23.01 lakh and the Model Town Extension parking lot was auctioned for Rs 29 lakh. Failure to adopt a single policy for auction of parking sites may lead to major revenue loss. Unmet requirements Before handing over parking sites, the MC fixes certain conditions, including e-ticket machines, uniform with ID cards for employees, display boards showing parking fee, proper marking for parking of two-wheelers and cars and e-pos machines at the entrance of parking site. However, these conditions are rarely fulfilled. No penalties imposed Penalties ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 can be imposed for violations. If the contractor repeats the same mistake thrice, then the contract can be terminated. However, this has never happened despite several complaints of overcharging and misbehaviour by staff with people coming to the parking lots. MSID:: 122250422 413 |
