Austin Franco turned down a job interview at a startup because it was run by Jewish brothers; after his name was exposed online, he is now trying to raise money to repair his image and deal with the consequences; so far, he has raised $22,000The student who refused an internship at a startup because he was “not interested in working for a Jew” continues to stir controversy, and he is now raising donations through a crowdfunding campaign aimed at helping him restore his image and professional future.Within several days, he raised more than $22,000 on GiveSendGo under the title: “Fund Austin Franco after Jewish doxxing.” Doxxing is the act of exposing personal information and conducting an online campaign against a specific person. “His career and financial future is at stake, I ask that you help fund a good Christian man,” the fundraising page said. The campaign was launched by a British YouTuber identified with the far right, who has previously been linked to racist remarks.2 View gallery Austin Franco refused an internship at a startup because he was 'not interested in working for a Jew' (Photo: From the crowdfunding website)The case came to light after the 19-year-old Cornell University student declined an interview for an internship at VryflD, a New York City startup co-founded by brothers Gabe and Aiden Einhorn, after realizing the company’s founders were Jewish, the New York Post first reported. The Einhorn brothers shared a screenshot of his response to the interview invitation, in which he wrote: “Not interested in working for a Jew. Thanks.”Gabe Einhorn said he and his brother decided to share the message to draw attention to rising antisemitism but “felt bad” about exposing Franco and initially blacked out his name in the screenshot.“We had never experienced antisemitism so directly,” he added. Franco’s name was easily uncovered by internet users despite the redaction, leading to a media and social media campaign against him. In response to the uproar, Franco told Einhorn: “I’m sure if you indicated you did not want to work for someone who was white or Christian this would not have blown up to the capacity it has."2 View gallery Cornell University is investigating the incident (Photo: Shutterstock)Later, after he was identified online, Franco doubled down on the message and wrote: “My experiences with Jews have not been pleasant, both in person and online. That is not to say I haven't had positive experiences, but on the aggregate that is not the case.” Franco further claimed that the actions of Einhorn and the Jewish community — publishing his response, exposing his personal details and then attempting to investigate his personal life — justified his concerns that Jews do not work with others politely and fairly.Cornell University is investigating the case. Franco's LinkedIn profile, which has since been deleted, detailed his professional background and noted that he is originally from Virginia.First published: 18:38, 06.18.26