“You’re a strong candidate, but…” — Google HR called to reject him. For the content.

Lalith was eating dinner when his phone rang. The caller introduced herself as Mohini from Google HR and told him he was a “strong candidate.” Lalith’s hopes rose. Then she said he had not been selected. Confused by why a rejection warranted a personal phone call, Lalith asked for an explanation. Mohini, according to his viral X post, joked it was company policy — so he would at least have a post to share online. One commenter captured the reaction: “You got rejected by Google but hired by the X algorithm.”