A college student experienced a dose of karma when he discovered that the woman interviewing him for a job was the same person he had previously insulted on LinkedIn. This incident was shared on social media by Pranav Mehta, a former IITian and ex-Microsoft employee.

Mehta, a software engineer and founder of A Code Daily, explained that the story involved one of his female friends who works at a startup. According to Mehta, the student had approached his friend on LinkedIn seeking a referral for a position at her company. “One of my female friends working at a startup received a message on LinkedIn a few weeks ago from a college student asking for a referral for an SDE-1 opening,” Mehta wrote on the social media platform X.

The friend, finding the student’s resume lacking, advised him to improve it before applying. Instead of taking this as constructive feedback, the student insulted her, referring to her as a “diversity hire” and questioning her capability to advise him.

The student later obtained a referral from another source and attended his first-round interview. To his dismay, the interviewer was the same woman he had disparaged on LinkedIn. “Karma bites you back in ways you can’t even fathom,” Mehta wrote on X. “Though she didn’t let the past experience affect her decision on his candidacy, the guy was scared as hell.”

The story has since gone viral on X, with users commenting on the situation. One user named Aman remarked, “Regardless of gender, it’s utterly stupid to unprovokedly insult a senior employee of a company you want to work for. Even if you get hired, you’re starting off with a conflict with a senior employee.” Another user, Karan, noted, “It’s a small world. I’ve seen similar instances happen time and again.” User Aditi added, “It’s easier to bash others than to work on yourself. That’s why many prefer that.”