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Bengaluru techie lands Google job after 20+ rejections; says it's hustle, not luck
Naman Kumar Gautam said that he received a number of rejections before he was hired by Google
A Bengaluru-based techie has rejected the role of luck in landing a Google job. Naman Kumar Gautam said that he received a number of rejections before he was hired by Google, and those who are now calling him “lucky” did not see him hustle.
To prove his point, the Bengaluru-based software engineer shared screenshots of the 20-plus rejection letters he received from companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Meesho, Booking.com, etc.
20-plus rejections before success
Naman Kumar compiled his rejection letters into one video, which he shared on Instagram last month. Some of the rejections were vague, informing Kumar that he did not meet “specific position requirements” or that his past experience did not match what the company was looking for.
Others provided more concrete reasons — like one company telling him the position he applied for was open only to EU residents. Some simply chose not to move forward with his application because the position had already been filled.
The end result was the same: Over 20 companies rejected Kumar. These included Microsoft, Visa, Adobe, Meesho, Booking.com, New Relic, Mercor and many more.
The rejections reflect just how much the techie had to work to land a job at Google. Finally, however, in August 2025, Google sent him an acceptance letter.
Luck vs hustle
Kumar opened his Instagram video with a phrase he has probably heard often: “You work at Google, you are so lucky”.
However, the Bengaluru-based techie emphasised the importance of hard work as he added a snippet of himself crying, probably after facing rejections. This was followed by several screenshots of his rejection letters, before he was finally accepted to Google.
(Also read: From IIT failure to ₹1.7 crore job in London: Indian techie’s journey to Meta goes viral)
“Lucky is just what they call the hustle they didn't see. Keep going,” advised the techie, who has repeatedly spoken about his “tier-3” college education.
“No one sees the struggle brother, no one. You deserve this, celebrate it like a champ,” wrote one Instagram user in the comments section.
“Every rejection is just a step in the process, not the end of the road,” another wrote.
“Everyone sees the result and calls it luck but I have seen the reality: the sleepless nights, the pressure, the sacrifices. I have watched you hustle when no one was watching. Nothing about this is luck. You earned every bit of it,” a viewer added.
(Also read: Indian founder turned down $525K job, Stanford PhD to build $61-million AI startup)
