‘Not heartless, just burnt’: Founder explains why companies no longer trust job candidates

A start-up founder complained that a few people are failing to show-up at work after issuing offer letters.

The ongoing tug-of-war between employees chasing better opportunities and companies aggressively poaching talent has once again triggered a debate on social media, this time after a startup founder called out a growing trend of candidates accepting job offers and never turning up.

Two new recruits joined and left within 2 days after getting their offer letters. Last month, another candidate took the offer and never joined. No drama. No explanation. Just wasted time. So we changed the process. We decided to share offer letters only after people joined.…

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— Pritesh Lakhani (@priteshlakhani) January 16, 2026

The discussion gained traction after Pritesh Lakhani, co-founder of B2B marketplace Pneucons, shared his experience on X, claiming that multiple hires had either quit within days or failed to join altogether after accepting offer letters. According to Lakhani, two recruits joined his company but left within 48 hours, while another candidate accepted the offer and simply did not report for work.

Calling it a repeated waste of time and effort, Lakhani said his team was forced to change its hiring approach. “We decided to share offer letters only after people joined. Not to control anyone. Just to protect ourselves from repeat no-shows,” he wrote, adding that even this step failed to prevent last-minute dropouts.

Lakhani argued that such incidents are the reason hiring feels increasingly dysfunctional. “This is why hiring feels broken. Not because companies are heartless, but because trust keeps getting abused,” he said, adding that what candidates often label as “rigid policies” are usually reactions to past setbacks. “Trust isn’t lost randomly. It’s lost one offer letter at a time.”

His remarks struck a chord with several founders and recruiters, many of whom echoed similar concerns in the comments. One user claimed that candidates often use offer letters as leverage to negotiate higher salaries elsewhere, eventually ghosting companies they have no intention of joining. “What a waste of everyone’s time,” the user said.

Another recruiter shared that even confirmed hires cannot be fully trusted. “Every month, around 10 candidates back out just days before joining, despite the long and effort-intensive recruitment process,” the user wrote, highlighting the strain such behaviour places on hiring teams.

However, not everyone agreed with Lakhani’s assessment. Some users pushed back, arguing that companies themselves often fail to uphold professionalism. One commenter said employees are merely looking out for themselves in a market where layoffs are common and pay hikes remain minimal. “Where is this professionalism when management enjoys perks and bonuses while workers get a 1% increment or are laid off?” the user asked.