Founder claims he rejected 13 out of 15 coders for not knowing AI. Internet calls it 'shiny object syndrome'

The founder argued that practical experimentation was more valuable than formal familiarity with artificial intelligence tools.

A technology founder based in New York drew widespread attention on LinkedIn after disclosing that he had turned away the majority of applicants in recent interviews because they had never created anything with artificial intelligence.

The entrepreneur, who runs a software company focused on climate risk, stated that during interviews with 15 software engineers he had dismissed 13 of them, not due to weak coding knowledge, but because they had no personal AI projects to show.

In his post, he wrote: “If you’re a software engineer in 2025 who hasn’t built a single AI side project, you’re not competitive. At least not in startups. I don’t care if your company uses AI.I don’t care if you’re planning to learn it. I care if you’ve shipped something. Anything.”

The founder argued that practical experimentation was more valuable than formal familiarity with artificial intelligence tools. He cited the example of a 24-year-old applicant who had spent a weekend developing a tool that gave users budget suggestions based on their personal spending. He described this type of initiative and creativity as what set strong candidates apart.

The post prompted a wave of reactions. Some LinkedIn users dismissed his stance as shallow or unprofessional. One comment read: “Sounds like you’re easy to impress and easy to fool. And you have shiny object syndrome.”

Another added that the expectations should be made explicit in job adverts rather than revealed during interviews: “Save the time of yours and the time of candidates. Write this demand in the job posting.”

"Thank you for clarifying you're a startup so we can know not to care," another user commented.

Others supported his position, with one professional writing: “Building beats theory every time. I’ve shipped my own AI-native app and can relate to exactly what you describe.”

The exchange underlined a growing issue in the technology sector: whether software engineers can remain competitive relying only on traditional coding expertise, or whether demonstrable experience with artificial intelligence is becoming essential.