UC Berkeley Alumnus Creates ‘Fake Persona' To Fool 34 VPs. Then This Happened
Last Updated:
A UC Berkeley grad of Indian origin said he got replies from 27 venture capitalists by posing as a fake persona and using popular buzzwords.
There's no denying that big-name schools and impressive logos can make a resume stand out. Bhavye Khetan, an Indian-origin graduate from UC Berkeley, surprisingly proved this. He created a fake persona and used buzzwords like 'Stanford," 'AI," and 'Palantir" in cold emails—and ended up getting attention from nearly 30 venture capitalists. His experiment shows just how much weight fancy names and popular terms still carry in the professional world.
On X (formerly Twitter), Khetan aimed at the startup and venture capital scene, questioning its obsession with appearances. He noted that just using impressive names and trendy buzzwords was enough to spark interest, even without a concrete idea or business plan.
The post has already crossed 1.2 million views and quickly went viral, igniting a wave of debate across social media.
A user wrote, 'I heard about a guy who faked his CV with/ similar founder, tech nonsense & landed major consulting & then executive jobs this way. The entire climb up the ladder, he delegated key tasks he had no idea how to do himself to underlings. Now he's CFO at a Fortune 500, clearing 500K a year."
Another said, 'This is stupid. You lied. Stanford is meaningful. Palantir is meaningful. AI is meaningful. The only person acting inappropriately is you."
'I don't think it's rigged, if you lie, of course, they will take your call, but I think you won't get past that when they figure out you are lying pretty quickly," an individual commented on X.
'It doesn't stop there. Some of these founders only consider candidates who graduated from elite universities. We've received specific requests for sales positions where graduating from a top-tier school is a non-negotiable requirement. Candidates from other schools won't even be considered, regardless of work history. I get it if you're hiring for an entry-level role. But once people have some WE, it's a mistake," another user remarked.
The post has since continued to fuel conversations about credibility, ethics, and what truly matters in the startup world.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Crime AI an end-to-end investigation tool
"Currently, the NCRP complaint system relies on manual complaint submission through self-registration on the portal or through the 1930 helpline. It lacks intelligent classification, real-time tracking and streamlined investigation capabilities for complex fraud cases," said the startup's founder, Meet Bisht, a BTech in cybersecurity from Parul University and a cyber expert who worked closely with Gujarat Police. "Manual data entry is prone to human error. Often, minute details are missing from complaints as cyberfraud victims are often unaware of what is needed like the crime category or subcategory or transaction IDs," Bisht said. "As this process is time-consuming, by the time a complaint is lodged, the stolen funds have been layered through multiple accounts and recovery either becomes difficult or is only partial. There is also workload duplication for LEAs as the same fraudsters/accounts appear in multiple cases with no linkage," Bisht added. Crime AI was proposed as a solution at the IndiaAI I4C Cyber Guard AI Hackathon — the national competition organized by the India AI Mission in collaboration with the I4C. "Crime AI is a smart, end-to-end cybercrime investigation portal with AI classification, optical character recognition (OCR), voice processing and LEA workflow management features," said Bisht, whose team of young innovators, Rohit Ganaka and Yukta Chauhan, bagged Rs 3 lakh in funding after winning the third prize at the hackathon. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Health Plans for 2025 – Start Here Search7 Learn More Undo The AI classification in Crime AI auto-detects complaint category and subcategory using natural language processing. "The OCR-powered document analysis feature extracts text from screenshots, PDFs and images uploaded by complainants and auto-fills in the fields of the form from the evidence files," he said. Through audio transcription, voice complaints are converted into structured text. This feature detects and extracts entities like names, amounts, banks and fraud types, among others," said Bisht, adding that currently, the AI model supports more than 15 Indian languages. "With this model, law enforcement agencies, including those at district, state or national level, can even ask banks or payment gateways to freeze funds or put liens on accounts if there is a complaint of fraud," said Bisht.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Defence equipment, oil, cars: Where India could lower tariffs to reach deal with US
With US trade negotiators set to reach India Thursday for a two-day visit, the India-US trade deal negotiations are entering their final stage and could soon see Delhi opening its market and lowering tariffs on a range of American products – from select agricultural goods to defence equipment. This is in exchange for concessions on reciprocal tariffs and improved access to the US market for India's labour-intensive sectors such as textile and leather products. The White House said Tuesday that the US had asked countries to make their best offers on trade negotiations by Wednesday, as the July 8 deadline for reciprocal tariffs is just five weeks away. 'I can confirm the merits and the content of the letter. The United States Trade Representative (USTR) sent this letter to all of our trading partners just to give them a friendly reminder that the deadline is coming up,' White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said. Improving market access for US exports such as oil, armaments, soybeans, corn, whisky and automobiles could help address Washington's concerns over its goods trade deficit with India and high tariff barriers. US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said Tuesday that the US aimed to bring back advanced manufacturing and bridge the trade deficit by increasing exports to India, adding that both sides had 'found a place that really works' for them. Indian officials have indicated that diversifying oil and defence procurement is in the country's strategic interest and sourcing more from the US could also significantly help bridge the goods trade gap, as India's refining capacity has been increasing alongside oil import dependency, which surged to 90 per cent in April 2025. India's oil import mix has already undergone a significant shift since the Ukraine war, with Russia emerging as the top supplier, replacing Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Official trade data showed that India had already stepped up oil purchases from the US. India's import of crude oil from the US jumped 11.49 per cent to $63 billion in March 2025 compared to the previous year. India has had long standing defence ties with Russia, owing to its reliability during times when Western countries imposed sanctions. However, the US now appears to be leveraging its position as the world's largest market to boost defence equipment exports to India and reduce Delhi's dependence on Russia. Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) in Washington DC, Lutnick said: 'There were certain things that the Indian government did that generally rubbed the United States the wrong way. For instance, they generally buy military gear from Russia. That's a way to kind of get under the skin of America, if you go to buy your armaments from Russia.' He said India is already 'addressing' this issue. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the largest share of India's arms imports between 2020 and 2024 still came from Russia at about 36 per cent. However, this was significantly lower than the 55 per cent recorded in 2015-19 and 72 per cent in 2010-14. SIPRI's report released in March suggested that India has increased domestic manufacturing and is shifting its arms supply relations towards Western suppliers – most notably France, Israel and the US – at a time when Russia is prioritising domestic production amid the ongoing Ukraine war. US arms exports grew by 21 per cent between 2015-19 and 2020-24. The US share of global arms exports rose from 35 per cent to 43 per cent – nearly equal to the combined total of the next eight largest exporters, according to SIPRI. From high tariffs on agricultural imports to restrictions on genetically modified (GM) seeds and products, the US has criticised several Indian trade policies that have limited US exports. Under the new trade agreements, the US is seeking increased market access for its agricultural products, especially soya and corn – two of its top export items to China. Amid the likelihood of a protracted trade tussle with China, the US deal with India is likely to ensure greater market access for these two products. Additionally, the US may also secure improved access for its apples. A NITI Aayog working paper in May stated that India could offer some concessions on 'soybean oil imports' to reduce the trade imbalance, without harming domestic production. India is the largest importer of edible oil globally, and the US has a surplus of soybean exports. 'We should also explore the option of importing soybean seed and using it for extracting oil in coastal areas, then selling the oil in the domestic market and exporting the meal, for which there is adequate overseas demand. This will avoid genetically modified (GM) feed entering the Indian market,' the paper, authored by Senior Adviser at NITI Aayog Raka Saxena and Member Ramesh Chand, said. 'Similarly, corn may be imported for ethanol blending, and its by-products – like Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) – can be entirely exported to avoid GM feed in the country. US corn is cheaper and can be used to meet India's biofuel targets without disrupting local food and feed markets,' it said. Notably, soybeans and corn are among the top exports of US to China and according to a Reuters report, US soybean exports could drop 20 per cent and prices may plunge if the US-China trade dispute remains unresolved. If the trade agreement with the UK is any indication, India is likely to open its highly protected automobile and alcoholic beverage sectors to the US, its largest trade partner. Even before negotiations with the US began, India slashed duties on bourbon whisky to 50 per cent from the earlier 150 per cent. Bourbon whisky is primarily produced in the US, with about 95 per cent made in Kentucky. Under the UK deal, India cut tariffs on automotive imports from over 100 per cent to 10 per cent – although the reduction is phased over 10 to 15 years. A similar, if not more favourable, deal could be offered to the US. President Donald Trump had previously stated that high tariffs in India made it difficult for companies like Harley-Davidson to operate in the country.
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
French trade minister meets Piyush Goyal, says France one of India's best economic partners
'With my Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal, I reaffirmed a conviction: France is one of India's best economic partners… Reforms, stability, innovation, access to EU and India markets: there's everything to strengthen our bilateral relationship,' Saint-Martin stated in a post on X. The minister highlighted the potential to further strengthen bilateral ties through 'reforms, stability, innovation, and enhanced market access to the EU and Indian markets.' Paris : French Foreign Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin on Tuesday reaffirmed the 'conviction' that France is one of 'India's best economic partners' after his meeting with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in Paris. Following his meeting with Goyal, Saint-Martin also expressed optimism about the ongoing India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, anticipating a possible agreement in the coming weeks or months. 'It's important to demonstrate that we believe in free trade, not trade wars,' he stressed. 'Minister Goyal arrived with a strong business delegation – over 50 companies, which is significant. At a time when global trade is facing challenges, we believe it's crucial for India and France to strengthen their ties… The European Union and India are progressing toward a Free Trade Agreement, and as a member of the European Commission, we fully support this… I'm optimistic that we could see an agreement in the coming weeks or months… It's important to demonstrate that we believe in free trade, not trade wars,' the French Minister told reporters. He emphasised the importance of fostering deeper cross-border trade and investments between the two nations. 'At the same time, we must foster deeper bilateral relations between France and India, which means enhancing cross-investments, more cross-border trade… All the friendship that President Macron and PM Modi have will, of course, help our bilateral relations to go deeper now,' he added. Earlier on Monday, the Union Minister held a productive meeting with French Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Eric Lombard, focusing on deepening the India-France economic partnership with an emphasis on trade, investments, and technology cooperation. The discussions, which took place during Goyal's three-day official visit to France, also reviewed the progress of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, signalling a strong intent to bolster bilateral ties amidst a shared commitment to innovation and economic growth. 'Held a productive meeting with Eric Lombard, French Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. Exchanged views on deepening our economic partnership, enhancing trade & investments with a special focus on technology and innovation across key sectors. Also discussed the progress of the India-EU FTA negotiations. Looking forward to stronger India-France economic ties,' Goyal said in a post on X. He also expressed optimism that India could finalise its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) ahead of the year-end deadline, citing minimal divergences between the two economic blocs. Goyal also held a series of high-level meetings in Paris with top French CEOs to explore new opportunities for India's growth across key sectors such as renewable energy, automobile manufacturing, electric vehicles (EVs), and consumer products. The minister commenced his three-day official visit to Paris on Sunday as part of his ongoing visit to France and Italy from 1 to 5 June 2025. This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content Also read: US, India to give preferential access to each other's businesses, says Piyush Goyal
