'Never lose hope': Ex-Google engineer receives rejection email 4 years later, internet reacts

Sharma earned her B.Tech from Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University. Image credit: Freepik)

• Anu Sharma received a rejection email 4 years after applying.
• Her post about the delayed rejection went viral on social media.
• Sharma was a software engineer at Uber, Twitter, and Google.

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A former software engineer at Google recently shared a funny throwback that amused many online. Sharing a screenshot of a rejection email for a "Fullstack Tools Developer Intern" position, Anu Sharma had applied for four years ago, which arrived long after she had built her career.

“Finally received the rejection for an internship I applied for 4 years back. Never lose hope!” Anu Sharma wrote, along with an image of the rejection email.

The subject of the email reads, “Thank You For Your Interest In Our Full-Stack Tools Developer Intern Position.”

In the email sent to Sharma, it stated, “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to consider you for the position of Fullstack Tools Developer Intern. We regret to inform you that we will not be moving forward with your candidacy at this time. We will retain your information in our system and may reach out to you if…”

Finally received the rejection for an internship I applied for 4 years back. Never lose hope!  pic.twitter.com/72WfFhWYVM

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— Anu Sharma (@O_Anu_O) March 16, 2026

The post quickly went viral on social media, with users reacting with humour and disbelief.

One user said, “At least ye 4 saal baad aaya. I got a rejection just 4 seconds after applying.”

Another X user wrote, “Professional misconduct. Punishment should be whatever the HR equivalent of getting disbarred is.”

A third user commented, “That might be the most delayed rejection ever. But the lesson stands strong: never lose hope.”

Another added, “Probably they wanted to see if your experience would be enough for that internship... Apparently, it wasn't.”

About Anu Sharma

According to her LinkedIn profile, Sharma earned her B.Tech from Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women and began her career freelancing before moving to full-time jobs.

She has been associated with firms such as Uber, X (formerly Twitter), and Google, where she worked as a software engineer for more than two years between 2024 and 2026.