Founder’s Email To No-Show Hire Sparks Debate Online; Here's What Netizens Said

Shetty wrote in his post on Monday, “One of the engineers who was due to join today sent a message over the weekend that they won’t join. Bit let down"

The engineer had informed Shetty that personal reasons and a better offer from another firm were behind the decision

Source : ABPLIVE AI

Srijan R Shetty, co-founder of fintech startup Fuze Finance, has stirred significant discussion on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after sharing his candid response to a job candidate who accepted an offer but declined to join just days before their scheduled start. Shetty, an IIT alumnus based in Dubai, revealed the engineer backed out after securing a “better offer,” prompting a wave of reactions across the internet.

Shetty wrote in his post on Monday, “One of the engineers who was due to join today sent a message over the weekend that they won’t join. Bit let down, but I sent them across the following message,” along with a screenshot of the email he sent the candidate.

One of the engineers who was due to join today sent a message over the weekend that they won't join.

Has very rarely happened, and I felt a bit let down.

I sent them across the following message.

I believe that everyone should optimise for themselves, but being honest about… pic.twitter.com/NmbyUF9J3N

— Srijan R Shetty (@srijanshetty) July 7, 2025

In the email, Shetty acknowledged the competitive nature of job markets but expressed concern about the lack of upfront communication. “The two reasons you provided seem a bit off,” he wrote. “You’re free to shop for offers in the market — it’s a free market after all. But you could have come back to us and we would have been happy to have a chat about the new offer that you have.”

A Call For Professional Courtesy

The engineer had informed Shetty that personal reasons and a better offer from another firm were behind the decision. In response, Shetty underscored the importance of openness and mutual respect in professional relationships.

“I believe that life is a positive sum game, and that’s how we treat everyone at Fuze,” he explained. “A lot of my folks at Fuze have worked with us over the years in different startups and we have ensured that we do what’s best for them — even if it means joining another company with a much better offer.”

However, Shetty also made it clear that the candidate’s approach could be seen as unprofessional. “The action of rejecting an offer a day before joining reflects very poorly on the person partaking in the action,” he stated. “I hope you do not do the same with any other company and choose to prefer open communication instead.”

Social Media Reacts

Shetty’s post quickly went viral, generating thousands of impressions and a wave of commentary. While many users echoed his sentiments, others empathized with the candidate's situation, citing concerns about transparency during ongoing negotiations.

A user wrote, “I think everyone that’s arguing againt this is missing a critical piece of information. As far as I understand this person accepted your offer and decided to bail one day before. Everyone shops for offers. That is perfectly fine to do. But if this was me once I’ve agreed to an offer there’s no way I’m shopping around for an alternate offer. I would ideally have just asked for more time to say YES.”

“Worst case if there was an alternate company I’d rather join I would at least have an honest conversation. Nobody wants someone on their team that isn’t fully committed or interested so you or any other founder for that matter would prefer a clean exit vs a messy one. Communicate lads!" the user added.