Accepted a job offer, turned down another opportunity, then got rug pulled via email two days later. The full story.
I want to share this because I genuinely could not believe it happened and the documentation is airtight.
Background
I was recently laid off via reduction in force after nearly a decade at a major fintech company. I have years of sales leadership experience in a niche industry. Two months prior of my RIF I began pursuing a Head of Sales role at a US subsidiary of a Korean hardware manufacturer. I will not name the company but it is a real, publicly traded organization.
How I got the interview two recruiting firms contacted me about this position because my background is a great fit for the position.
The first recruiter ghosted me after telling me to move on stating the company was non responsive. A second recruiter contacted me and asked me if I’d be interested in this company and I said yes. submitted my resume, got a rejection, then ghosted me. With no options left I tracked down the direct contact for the decision maker of the company and cold texted him. He called me back, we had a great conversation, and a formal panel interview was scheduled.
The interview process
Panel interview went well. Three people in the room. HR, the hiring manager, and the CEO. HR asked me if I had inflated my resume because my numbers were impressive. I had not. Everything was documented and verifiable.
Compensation negotiation
They came in at an okay base. I had initially indicated I could accept that number but received a competing VP offer in the interim which changed my position. I countered at 15k more, They took it to Korea HQ and came back with their best and final. Same base with a 15% guaranteed bonus paid monthly and a 15% performance bonus tied to milestones. Year two transitions to a 30% target bonus. Total guaranteed year one floor was approximately the number I was hoping for.
I accepted. Twice. In writing.
Wednesday April 22nd I formally accepted their offer via email. I communicated my acceptance clearly and enthusiastically. I was waiting for a formal offer letter.
During this same period I had a competing offer on the table. I let that opportunity go because I believed we had reached an agreement and the company was waiting on an answer and eventually had to move on.
The rug pull
Approximately 48 hours after my written acceptance, while I was expecting a formal offer letter, I received an email from HR stating the company would not be moving forward because the role required more frequent on-site collaboration than initially anticipated.
This requirement had never been mentioned once during the entire process. Not in the panel interview. Not in any email. The only travel discussion was when the hiring manager asked if I could travel up to 30% of the time to their office. I said yes.
What I did
I sent a firm professional email to HR and the CEO documenting the following. I accepted in good faith twice in writing. The on-site requirement was never disclosed. I declined a competing offer specifically because I believed we had an agreement. The financial harm was real and documented.
I also escalated to leadership at the Korea HQ directly, including the executive who I believe influenced the decision, whose LinkedIn activity on my profile the night before the rejection was telling.
Their response
They sent a legally coached email arguing the offer was non-binding because I had not signed an employment contract and citing the on-site requirement retroactively. I disputed this in writing, specifically noting that 30% travel was explicitly discussed and agreed upon, which is materially different from consistent on-site presence.
Their final response: “We do not agree with your characterization of the events and have no further comments at this time.”
Where it stands
I have retained an employment attorney and am pursuing a promissory estoppel claim. The entire email chain is documented from initial outreach through acceptance and rescission. I gave them until end of business Friday to respond with a good faith resolution. They did not. However they apologized in earlier emails and admitted “ this was on us”
Lessons
Do not accept a verbal or email offer and consider it done until you have a signed contract. Document every conversation including travel and location discussions. If a company cannot honor its word before you start, imagine how they operate after.
I went from excited of a dream job as I was a perfect fit to absolutely saddened. However, my industry is small and there’s a very good chance I’ll end up working with one of their customers in the future as I am fairly well known in our space. That will be an unpleasant surprise for them.