Cornell student faces backlash after rejecting job offer with antisemitic message and comments.
Austin Franco, a student at Cornell University, is facing scrutiny after rejecting a job opportunity with antisemitic comment that singled out the employer’s religion. The incident, which began as a recruitment effort, quickly spread gained traction on social media and led to a formal report to university officials. Franco was contacted through the career platform Handshake by Gabe Einhorn, chief executive of a real estate technology company called VrfyID. Einhorn invited Franco to interview with him and his brother for a possible position. Franco first agreed to meet but did not attend the interview. After another attempt to arrange a meeting, he again failed to appear.
When the Einhorn brothers later asked why Franco was no longer interested in the exchange, he replied in an antisemitic comment that he was “not interested in working for a Jew.” The response stunned Einhorn, who later described the message publicly while trying to keep Franco’s identity private. Franco later explained that he believed the brothers were Jewish based on their names, LinkedIn profiles, and physical appearance. He defended his decision by saying his past experiences with Jewish people, both online and in real life, had generally been negative.
Franco wrote on social media that he had only explained his reasoning after being asked several times about the interview. He added that although he had positive interactions with some Jewish people, his overall view remained unfavorable. The situation became more heated after someone revealed Franco’s last name, which Einhorn had tried to conceal in his original post. Einhorn responded by saying he intentionally hid the name because he did not want to ruin the student’s life.
Franco later said he experienced online harassment and attempts to expose his personal information after his identity spread online. Despite that, he stated that he was not deeply affected by the backlash and hoped the experience would give him a better understanding of life. Cornell University officials condemned the remarks. A university spokesperson described the statement as deeply disturbing and said it violated the policies of both Handshake and Cornell Career Services, and the incident was referred to the university’s Office of Civil Rights for review.
Some people argued that Franco’s antisemitic comment reflected harmful stereotypes that unfairly judge an entire group of people based on personal experiences. Others questioned whether public exposure and online outrage are the best ways to address offensive speech. Einhorn said the situation could have ended much differently. In his view, Franco could have apologized, admitted he made a mistake, and moved on. Instead, the exchange continued to grow as more people joined the conversation online. Einhorn added that the episode serves as a reminder that people encounter coworkers, employers, and friends from many backgrounds throughout life. Making broad assumptions about any group can damage relationships and close doors before they even open.
Franco appeared to take a more casual view of the controversy. He told reporters the event might someday become an interesting story to tell his children if he has any. He also joked that he may have given Einhorn’s company more publicity than it would otherwise receive and wished the entrepreneur success with his business.
The university is continuing its review and it’s unclear whether findings of the investigation will become public.
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Student Writes ‘Not Interested in Working for a Jew’ on Handshake, Cornell Reports Bias Incident
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