When boAt co-founder Aman Gupta posted about his company OFF/BEAT’s internship drive on LinkedIn, he probably did not expect the internet to react the way it did. The startup opened just three intern positions, but what came in was a flood of over thirteen thousand applications, an acceptance rate so narrow that team members joked it was statistically tougher than earning a seat at an IIT or clearing the UPSC civil services exam.
AI agents worked around the clock to handle the volume
To manage the massive influx of applications, the OFF/BEAT team deployed multiple Claude AI agents that worked continuously without breaks. These agents handled everything from building the application form itself to filtering through all 13,022 profiles to identify candidates who genuinely fit the company’s culture and vision. The sheer scale of data involved made the sorting process, in Gupta’s own words, “on another level.”
The diversity of people who applied was striking. Students from nearly 1,800 colleges across the world sent in applications, including those from globally recognized institutions such as Harvard and UCLA, as well as from small towns that Gupta admitted he had never even heard of. The age range was equally surprising. A 14-year-old from Dubai and a 68-year-old from Dadar, Mumbai, both threw their hats in the ring. Among engineers who applied, a full 96 out of every 100 had no interest in a traditional engineering role they were chasing something different entirely.
One applicant was so determined that she flew in from Bangalore just to personally deliver her resume. Gupta acknowledged the gesture but was clear that such tactics are not something the company encourages.
What made Gupta’s post resonate beyond the numbers was his refreshingly candid closing note. Rather than sending a generic “We’ll get back to you” email to the 13,019 people who did not make it through, he chose to be upfront. He acknowledged that OFF/BEAT’s office is simply too small to accommodate more people right now, but framed it as a challenge the team is actively working to solve. The goal, he said, is to grow fast and create more room for talent in the future.
The three candidates who were ultimately selected were described as people who could “match his crazy” a nod to the unconventional, high-energy ethos that OFF/BEAT appears to be building its identity around.
The viral nature of this internship drive points to something deeper than just one company’s hiring story. It reflects a generation of young people, engineers and non-engineers alike, who are actively seeking alternatives to conventional career paths. Startups that offer purpose, culture, and creative freedom are drawing applicants in numbers that dwarf what traditional placements often see. For companies like OFF/BEAT, that is both an opportunity and a responsibility.
