7 people came to the YC after party left with permanent tattoos.
Lemon Lime had invited a tattoo artist to their office. Anyone willing to get the company’s logo tattooed immediately received a job interview.Seven people walked away with permanent tattoos.
Offering someone a job interview in exchange for getting a permanent tattoo is unethical.
The issue isn’t that seven adults chose to get tattooed. It’s that an employer tied access to a career opportunity to an irreversible change to someone’s body.
Is it really ‘consent’? There is an inherent power imbalance between companies and job seekers, especially in highly competitive environments like YC. That makes “consent” far more complicated than simply saying yes.
A great company should hire people for their talent, judgment and character…not their willingness to permanently mark themselves for a chance at an interview.
A line was crossed. And it’s a YC company. Is the job market so awful? How is this even legal?
paulcole•1h ago
It’s a lame stunt but this is just looking for something to get upset over.
I would do it if the company was one I was excited about.
I’m 45-ish and got my first tattoo this year. It’s a big eagle holding a bagel on my forearm. The coffee shop (their name is also on the tattoo) I go to said they’d give me free cold brew for life if I got it.
notrustincloud•40m ago
paulcole•33m ago
I got the tattoo done by the artist who designed it (the shop puts up a lot of local art). She thought it was funny and was excited to do it. I think it looks sick.
My average ticket has actually gone up because they started selling house-made bagel chips and I tip pretty generously. So it’s more been a fun thing than a money saver.
This place has been open for ~10 years and I’ve been going regularly since 2020-ish. My total spend there since start of 2020 is $11,700.
And my girlfriend has been threatening to tell the owner to take cold brew off the menu if I don’t keep up with my household chores. I didn’t see that one coming.