# Startup CEO Extracts Six Hours of Free Work, Then Ghosts

**[TRUE STORY]** — by Software engineer · Hong Kong startup · via r/recruitinghell

A Hong Kong startup CEO assigned a "pre-selection task" to a software engineering candidate -- six hours of work on what turned out to be real production files. After the candidate submitted the completed assignment, the CEO went silent. No rejection. No feedback. No response at all. Redditors identified the pattern: the founder was cycling applicants through actual backlog tickets disguised as interview exercises.

*Source: [r/recruitinghell · via DNA India](https://www.dnaindia.com/viral/report-hong-kong-job-applicant-jobseeker-startup-ceo-founder-made-him-work-6-hours-for-free-and-then-ghosted-him-internet-reacts-viral-post-on-reddit-tech-industry-ghosting-recruitment-toxic-exploitation-3147708/amp)*
[← Back to stories](https://www.goodbyeinterview.com/stories.md)
[Corrections](https://www.goodbyeinterview.com/corrections.md)