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[ARTICLE · art-19657] src=news.ycombinator.com pub= topic=ai-ethics verified=true sentiment=↓ negative

Please don't spam people looking for employment. It's just cruel

A job seeker identified only as "Ilia" received an unsolicited email promoting AI development services after posting in a "Who wants to be hired?" thread, describing the message as a cruel false hope that compounded the despair of six months of unemployment. The recipient, a forced immigrant supporting a family with crushing debt, urged senders to develop empathy rather than spamming vulnerable job hunters with irrelevant sales pitches. The complaint on Hacker News garnered 867 points and 247 comments, highlighting widespread frustration with automated outreach targeting desperate applicants.

read1 min publishedJun 2, 2026

Earlier I posted in a “Who wants to be hired?” thread, looking for a place where I could apply my experience in hospitality, food tech and automation.

A couple hours later I received an email:

“Hi Ilia,

I saw your comment on the June Who’s Hiring thread. I build production-ready TypeScript and Python systems that integrate LLMs into real workflows, with particular focus on RAG, agent orchestration, and clear blah-blah-blah”

Come on. I am a forced immigrant with a wife, a cat, rent and crushing debt, who’s been unemployed for 6 months. I am naturally an extremely optimistic person, but boy is energy on the low by now. And every e-mail in my inbox, especially one starting with something related to my job search, is a glimmer of hope. Just to be crushed by what comes next. Yes, it’s a minor cut, but those compound.

Please just don’t do this.

Maybe add a skill to your Claude Code called “empathy”? You can have your Claw access a “be considerate of other people’s experiences” MCP server! Or just ask your “Daily Grind Reminder” Telegram bot to recommend a good book of fiction from time to time. Just to develop some humanity.

Sorry for venting.

Comments URL: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48370330](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48370330)

Points: 867

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