HYDERABAD: A bid to stand out in a crowded job market has ignited a debate about where creativity ends and poor judgement begins. A computer science undergraduate at IIT Hyderabad tried to hook a startup founder with a provocative email subject line: “Your name is in Epstein Files.” It worked — but not as intended.
Harshdeep Rapal, founder and chief executive of Legitt AI, shared a redacted screenshot of the message on X. The opening line read: “Hello Harshdeep, just kidding, I wanted you to open the mail.” What followed was a conventional pitch, with a resume attached and an expression of interest in the firm’s Smart Contracts Assistant.
Rapal was unimpressed. Contracts, he noted, are serious business. “Please don’t do this,” he wrote. “It’s work that demands accountability, ownership and professionalism. If your very first email carries that kind of subject line, most founders simply won’t respond.” Desperation, he added, is no excuse for shortcuts that erode credibility.
The episode quickly drew criticism online. Commentators labelled the tactic immature, risky and tone-deaf. Some argued the student had confused novelty with judgement; others pointed out that securing attention is not the same as earning respect. Rapal responded that he reads cold emails written by humans, but sensationalism is a poor substitute for substance.
The controversy echoes a broader anxiety among recruiters and founders: in the race for visibility, candidates may forget that first impressions are fragile assets. A clever hook can open a door; a misjudged one can slam it shut.
Behind the furore lies a familiar tension. In an attention economy, the pressure to stand out is relentless. Yet the colonisation of hiring and networking by meme culture and trend-chasing carries reputational hazards. Novelty without judgement can be costly.
In professional outreach, as in business, reputation compounds — and so do mistakes.
