More Ivy League Antisemitism: Cornell Student Rejects NYC Startup Interview with Antisemitic Slur
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
New York NY, A shocking display of workplace discrimination has gone viral after an Ivy League student explicitly rejected an interview offer based entirely on the employers’ religious background.
Austin Franco, a 19-year-old student at Cornell University, put his antisemitism on full display after applying for a summer internship with VryfID, a Jewish-owned tech startup based in New York City. When invited to advance to the interview stage, Franco responded via the student job board Handshake with a blatant message: “Not interested in working for a Jew. Thanks.”
Inside the Handshake Incident That Sparked National Outrage
The target of the message, VryfID co-founders Gabe (24) and Aiden Einhorn (22), were stunned. The brothers launched the innovative real estate verification platform in the summer of 2025 to help streamline the apartment hunting process by pairing verified renters with qualifying landlords.
Franco had originally applied for a coveted role on the startup’s growth team. When Gabe Einhorn reached out to schedule a routine Zoom interview, he received the viral eight-word rejection instead.
“Sad world,” Gabe posted on X (formerly Twitter), sharing a screenshot of the message. While Gabe initially redacted the student’s name to give him the benefit of the doubt, internet sleuths quickly identified the applicant as Franco.
Cornell Student Doubles Down on Antisemitic Comments
Rather than issuing an apology for the discriminatory workplace behavior, Franco—who hails from Virginia and studies Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell—doubled down on his stance in a follow-up post on social media.
“My experiences with Jews have not been pleasant, both in person and online,” Franco wrote on X the following day, attempting to justify his refusal to interview.
Following the public outcry, Franco’s LinkedIn profile was quickly deleted. Cornell University administration has since confirmed that an official investigation into the incident is underway.
“Cornell condemns antisemitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination in the strongest possible terms,” a university spokesperson stated.
Rising Antisemitism Faces Tech Founders
For Gabe Einhorn, who wears a kippah and frequently discusses his faith alongside real estate on his personal social media platforms, the direct nature of the hatred was alarming but not entirely surprising. He noted that he has previously received numerous death threats across Facebook and other online spaces.
The explicit rejection on a professional networking platform like Handshake highlights a troubling trend of rising antisemitism, leaving the young founders shocked but determined to raise awareness about discrimination in the modern hiring process.
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Tags:
#Cornell#Antisemitism#IvyLeague#VryfID#TechStartup#WorkplaceDiscrimination#SocialMediaViral
Our universities need a major overhaul
I’m not Jewish, but you gotta be a real idiot.