A 19-year-old Cornell University student sparked outrage after rejecting an internship at a New York real estate startup with an explicit antisemitic message: “Not interested in working for a jew. Thanks.” The student, Austin Franco, is a second-year labor relations major at Cornell. The company, VryfID, connects renters and landlords and verifies identities and income to prevent fraud.
According to the article, founders Gabe and Aiden Einhorn, who are openly proud of their Judaism, initially approved Franco’s application. Aiden Einhorn scheduled a Zoom interview, and Franco sent his available times. But on June 8, after Aiden followed up, Franco replied with the offensive statement. Gabe Einhorn then posted a screenshot on X, writing that the student “probably knows nothing about Jews” and adding, “Sad world.” The post spread rapidly online.
Franco did not apologize. In an interview with the Cornell Daily Sun, he said his “experiences with Jews have not been pleasant” and insisted it was a “personal preference,” not antisemitism. Cornell reported the incident as a racism-related complaint and sent it for formal internal investigation. The university said it condemns antisemitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination “in the strongest terms.”
The case has received broad media coverage, Franco’s LinkedIn profile was removed, and the founders said it was the first time they had encountered something like this in their business lives, even as they said they were aware of rising antisemitism on campuses. Gabe Einhorn said, “It’s scary to see how many people support him.” There have been calls for action against Franco and discussions of long-term consequences for his career, but as of now there has been no report of suspension or disciplinary finding, and the investigation continues.
