A software engineer who once turned down the chance to be a founding engineer at Perplexity AI has now expressed deep regret, especially considering the company’s meteoric rise during the AI boom.
Aditya Baradwaj recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to reflect on what he called his “worst financial decision.” He shared a screenshot of a message from Aravind Srinivas, Perplexity AI’s co-founder and CEO, who had offered him a job in 2022. At the time, Baradwaj was working at Alameda Research and felt secure in his position, leading him to reject the offer.
His revelation came in response to another techie discussing a similar missed opportunity. Baradwaj tweeted:
“Nah, I’ve got you beat for worst financial decision. I said no because of how well things were going at Alameda Research/FTX.”
nah i’ve got you beat for worst financial decision
(i said no because of how well things were going at Alameda Research/FTX) https://t.co/n4bYSQESSG pic.twitter.com/YyDrfCOPT7
— Adi (tradeyourmeme.com) (@aditya_baradwaj) February 7, 2025
Srinivas responded to the post, contrasting “e/acc” (effective accelerationism, a movement advocating rapid technological progress) with “effective altruism,” which emphasizes evidence-based ways to maximize positive impact. Baradwaj agreed, replying: “Yup, this is why e/acc will win.”
Another AI Job Opportunity Missed
After the post gained traction, Baradwaj revealed that he had also unknowingly turned down another AI job. He discovered that the founder of Cursor AI had sent him five emails, which he had overlooked.
“It gets worse! Looks like I ghosted Cursor as well,” he tweeted, adding to the surprise of social media users.
Worst financial decision in history pic.twitter.com/fmm3FH6skF
— Peter (@peterthedecent) February 7, 2025
Social Media Reactions
His revelations sparked widespread amusement and disbelief online. Some users labeled him a “fumbler,” a term he accepted. One person described it as the “biggest fumble of the century,” while another commented, “I am going to cry reading this.”
The incident underscores how career decisions in the fast-paced AI industry can have significant long-term consequences.
