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Techie blames Google Assistant for ruining dream job interview: 'Level of embarrassment is unreal'

A techie recalled feeling embarrassed when Google Assistant allegedly ruined her online interview.

Published on: Oct 29, 2025, 06:21:36 IST
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A virtual job interview, meant to be a showcase of professionalism, turned into a scene of absolute chaos for one job seeker. A techie shared on Reddit how her Google Assistant unexpectedly activated during the crucial online interview, loudly reading a random Wikipedia entry, leaving her unfocused and flustered.

A techie's post about a job interview has gone viral on Reddit. (Representational image). (Unsplash)
A techie's post about a job interview has gone viral on Reddit. (Representational image). (Unsplash)

“My body is literally still shaking from the amount of embarrassment that happened about an hour ago. I had a Zoom interview for a job I really wanted, and I was trying my best to appear professional and confident. Suddenly, the Google Assistant on my phone decided to activate on its own and started reading a Wikipedia article about something completely random out loud,” the techie wrote.

Also Read: Employee recounts tense interview where HR compared salary negotiation to haggling at a restaurant: ‘I was shocked...’

She recalled that at that moment, her “brain just shut down.” What happened next was that she lost her focus completely and became flustered for the rest of the interview.

How did social media react?

An individual posted, “Even ignoring what it says about potential job performance, nobody really wants to work with someone who completely lacks grace under pressure. People hire people they want to work with. If someone crashes out over their Google Assistant activating, how are they going to react after they really screw up, like dropping a table in production or something like that?”

Another added, “I feel like there's more to the story here. Why did it upset you so much? It doesn't sound like a big issue to me. Just say ‘Excuse me’ and turn it off.”

Also Read: Woman shares why she rejected a ‘genuinely good’ candidate in interview: 'It was a difficult decision'

A third commented, “If this happened while I was interviewing, I would make sure the person was able to handle it and settle down first. People being interviewed are stressed, and we don’t get the best interview if we don’t help soothe that. I’m sorry it was stressful. I’m wishing for the best!” A fourth wrote, “You could have just said, excuse me, I don't know why my phone is taking right now, and turned it off. These things happen.”

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)

  • Trisha Sengupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Trisha Sengupta

    Trisha Sengupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of digital newsroom experience. Specialising in high-engagement storytelling, she blends viral trends with traditional journalism to cover the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. Her reporting spans real estate and personal finance struggles in hubs like Bengaluru and Gurgaon, the NRI experience, and corporate shifts like tech layoffs. Trisha also frequently tracks global figures and writes human interest stories. Offline, Trisha is an avid reader, history enthusiast and solo traveler. She balances her journalism career with family life while actively integrating AI tools into her modern storytelling approach.Read More