I'm a CEO who's rejected tons of AI applications. AI writing isn't an automatic disqualifier, but there's a line.

Matt Stauffer said there were a few dead giveaways for AI applications he recieved.

Courtesy of Matt Stauffer CEO Matt Stauffer received over 700 applications for his open project manager job posting.

He quickly noticed similarities between applications and realized many were AI.

"Signs of AI writing does not mean you won't get a job with us, but there is a line," he said.

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Matt Stauffer, a 41-year-old CEO of Tighten, a programming company.

He is based in Atlanta.

His words have been edited for length and clarity.

I'm the CEO of a small programming company.

I recently did my first full round of hiring in the age of AI.

Reading through applications and narrowing down the pile has always been a time-consuming process.

This time, it was significantly harder.

We always try to include some personal, fun questions in an application to get a sense of who someone is.

This hiring round, I put it to a higher degree because we're trying to understand people's humanity a little more now with AI.

How do they communicate, what are they passionate about, and how do they communicate about what they're passionate about? We had 703 applications for an open project manager role, and I read all of them.