Techie’s viral post on 670 job applications sparks debate on how hiring really works

A software engineer based in San Francisco has ignited a fresh debate over how people should look for work in the tech industry after sharing his own frustrating experience with job hunting on social media.

Marmik Patel, who describes himself on LinkedIn as a software engineer at Meta, posted on X that he had sent out hundreds of job applications and reached out to large numbers of recruiters, only to get no response. According to his post, he applied to around 670 roles and messaged more than 1,000 recruiters and engineers, but said the effort did not lead to a single concrete opportunity.

applying to jobs is the dumbest shit you can ever do.

i learned the hard way. dmed a 1000 recruiters/engineers. did 670 apps. didn't get me anything.

cause its not equally distributed: the top 10% of people take 90% of the jobs.

it's the same everywhere else. the hottest… https://t.co/gEpcaViXS1

— Marmik Patel (@Marmik_Patel19) January 12, 2026

Frustrated with the results, Patel wrote that he decided to abandon what he called the “volume game” of applying to jobs. Instead, he shifted his focus to building products, creating online content and meeting people in person. He travelled frequently between San Francisco and New York City, two of the largest tech hubs in the United States, to attend events and connect with people in the industry.

That change in approach, Patel claimed, produced a very different outcome. In a follow-up post, he said that between January and May this year, more than 80 recruiters had reached out to him directly, including from AI research labs, venture-backed startups and large technology companies.

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In his posts, Patel argued that the hiring market does not work evenly and that a small number of candidates attract most of the opportunities. “It’s a winner-takes-all world,” he wrote, suggesting that visibility, networks and perceived impact often matter more than simply submitting applications through online portals.

His remarks quickly spread across social media, drawing both praise and pushback. Some users said they saw their own struggles reflected in his story, especially younger jobseekers who have faced repeated rejections. One commenter wrote that Patel’s journey gave them the confidence to move to a major city and start building their own professional network.

Others, however, questioned whether his advice was practical for everyone. Several users asked whether people who cannot afford to relocate to expensive cities like San Francisco or New York could achieve similar results by “building in public” online, through social media and open-source projects. A few also pushed back against his sweeping criticism of job applications, asking what alternatives people without strong networks should realistically pursue.

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The discussion highlights a broader tension in today’s tech job market, where hiring has become more competitive following layoffs and slower growth across the industry. While online applications remain the most common way to apply for roles, many candidates increasingly believe that referrals, personal branding and direct networking carry more weight than automated hiring systems.

As Patel’s viral post shows, the frustration with traditional recruitment methods is growing, but so is the debate over who really benefits from alternative paths to getting noticed.