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“Dear CEO bro…” Indian-American CEO’s post sparks debate on cold emails
Supermemory founder Dhravya Shah’s post about a bizarre internship application featuring “Dear CEO bro” triggered a social media storm on workplace professionalism and startup hiring culture.
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Anushka Pathak - Mon, 27, Oct 2025
- 14:46 EDT
- 14
Representative Image / Courtesy: Unsplash
An Indian-American startup founder has gone viral after exposing an unusually informal internship email that began with “Dear CEO bro” and featured a misleading subject line mimicking a tech alert.
Dhravya Shah, founder of San Francisco-based AI company 'Supermemory,' shared the email on X on Oct. 24 with the caption, “How to not cold email…”
The message carried the subject line “It’s a bug in the product,” leading Shah to believe it was a technical issue rather than a job pitch.
Also Read: Piyush Pandey: Crafting Culture One Campaign at a Time
How to not cold email:
— Dhravya Shah (@DhravyaShah) October 23, 2025
- subject saying it's a bug in the product
- "Dear CEO bro,"
- nothing mentioned about past experience, didn't sell hard enough
- "The above is matter all written in AI"
- sent to personal email
- sorry for the subject, it was just to get you to open it pic.twitter.com/0Oqmrm7tgw
In the email, the applicant admitted to using AI for most of the writing but claimed authenticity in intent, writing, “I wanna work for a startup that really is the next big thing, hope you consider me.”
The unconventional tone replaced a typical resume or skill summary with what resembled a tech incident report.
According to Indian media reports, Shah said he typically receives 200–300 cold emails each week but found this one stood out for the wrong reasons.
The post amassed more than 62,000 views, with users split between calling the email bold or unprofessional. Many weighed in on the limits of creativity when applying for jobs in the startup ecosystem.
X users responded with humor and debate. One called the sender the “Cold email final boss,” while another commented, “If I were the CEO, I would give him a chance. He baited well and apologised.” Others pointed out that Shah sharing the message proved the applicant succeeded in catching attention.
If I was the CEO I will give him a chance. He baited well and apologized, what do you say
— Sireadel | HOOKT
While Shah’s post amused many, it also reminded aspiring job seekers that tone and context still matter.
Shah has not disclosed whether the unconventional applicant received a response.
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