Techie's old job interview video resurfaces. Now, years later it has become his nightmare

Economic Times

07-05-2025

Agencies In a Reddit post titled "My Past Interview Was Circulated Without Consent", a Berlin-based entrepreneur recounted the disturbing discovery that a past virtual interview, in which he had underperformed, was being shown to other companies A tech startup founder has ignited widespread discussion online after alleging that an old job interview of his was secretly shared among multiple organizations, potentially sabotaging his image within the industry.In a Reddit post titled "My Past Interview Was Circulated Without Consent", a Berlin-based entrepreneur recounted the disturbing discovery that a past virtual interview, in which he had underperformed, was being shown to other companies. The founder claimed the interview, which took place years ago, was poorly executed on his part due to a lack of preparation and intense job-hunting stress at the time.
"I had an interview years ago where I fell short," he wrote. "They questioned me on technical subjects that I couldn't properly articulate, largely because I hadn't thoroughly prepped. One interviewer even mocked me, saying, 'You say you've worked at NASA, but you don't seem to know what the un-embedding layer is in a Transformer model?''The entrepreneur noted that during that period, he was applying to numerous roles under pressure, hoping for a break. Eventually, frustrated with the traditional job market, he decided to build something of his own, launching a tech company and leaving behind the disappointment of failed interviews.However, the past came back in an unexpected and jarring way. While pitching his company's services to local clients in Berlin, he was shocked to hear references to what they called his 'training video.' Confused at first, he eventually understood that they were referring to his recorded interview with a company he had applied to years earlier.'They said, 'We saw your interview with company X,'' he explained. 'I remembered they asked to record it at the time and I had consented—but I never imagined it would be shared beyond the interview panel.'He was especially stunned when one potential client mentioned the interview had been accompanied by what they described as a "letter of warning" against collaborating with him. 'All this, over one bad interview,' he added.Turning to the Reddit community, the founder sought answers about whether interview recordings were protected by confidentiality and whether companies had the legal or ethical right to distribute them.'Are interviews meant to be private by default? Can companies legally send those recordings to others? This feels so wrong,' he wrote.
The post quickly gained traction, drawing concern and sympathy from fellow users. Many advised him to seek legal counsel, arguing that the sharing of the video may have violated data protection laws or defamed his character. 'It sounds like a serious case of defamation,' one user commented. 'Agreeing to a recording doesn't mean you consent to it being passed around to undermine your professional life. Lawyer up.'Another user shared a similar fear: 'I had a rough interview once where they recorded me too. I've always been anxious that it could resurface. People told me I was overreacting—this just proves some companies do act unethically.'