Yes. For me it was the "Apptimize is hiring HPMOR readers" headline for their YC jobs post.

I loved HPMOR but putting that in a headline for a job ad, combined with such heavy-handed emphasis on the team's academic credentials, just reeks of rationalist elitism.

I know next to nothing about the company or why I'd want to work there from reading their job post. What I do know is that they really think highly of themselves and work six days a week.

Pass. YC job ads are getting progressively more cringe-worthy. It's not hard - just write a sane job ad with realistic requirements and don't be intimidating. Your hiring funnel is something you really want to optimize, and many of these companies don't seem to be paying much attention to doing that at all.

I'd guess that it serves as a useful filter: Candidtes who find this sort of copy off-putting

> NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

will immediately turn away, and a candidate who is wholeheartedly excited by it will feel encouraged to apply. I can't imagine a lot of middle ground.

I remember reading an interview of Apptimize's CEO [0] and got the impression that she must be someone very energetic but also tough and demanding from her employees. Somehow this job post confirms my impression, and it seems she wants to work with people like her.

[0] http://www.femalefounderstories.com/nancy-hua.html

I got sucked into reading another YC startup job page over the weekend and that got me looking at even more (these are not something I would normally read). Over all I am shocked that any of these unprofessional tactics work at all. The one that caught my eye over the weekend had the following as an application and interview process:

-- 90 minute at home development challenge.

-- 3 day on site hackathon with other potential job candidates working on this organizations own API.

-- 2 day "Team Pairing" work on site at this companies office, on real production code. If, of course, you pass the hackathon.

This and the OPs example are certainly not the only startups in these YC batches who show a lack of professionalism when trying to hire. Most companies tout their teams, their environments, their benefits, and their perks. I enjoy working with startups almost as much as I enjoy starting them. But how is it that we have stooped to this unprofessional low when trying to hire new engineers into our startups? Who would respond to these or jump through these types of hoops?

To be fair, I do think that a small project is a better indicator of a potential candidate's success, but doing that much work for free is a big red flag as well.

My first thought when I saw this was "NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE".

From http://apptimize.com/company/jobs