Harder than Harvard: How to get a job at the most in-demand tech companies

"On December 1, podcaster and venture capitalist Harry Stebbings posted on LinkedIn that candidates were 200 times more likely to get into Harvard University than they were to get a job at the $6.6 billion valuation AI startup ElevenLabs. According to his statistic, out of 180,000 applicants in the first half of the year, only 0.018% were hired by the AI voice agent platform."

"And out of tens of thousands of applications, just 132 candidates eventually got the job at ElevenLabs-indeed, much lower than Harvard's 3% to 4% admission rates. "On average, we're seeing more people apply every quarter," says Victoria Weller, VP of operations at ElevenLabs. "I hope that the high number of applicants motivates people-it's inspiring to work somewhere that's hard to get in. It's like Harvard: once you're in, you know you're surrounded by the best people in an inspiring environment.""

A claim compared candidate odds of admission to Harvard University with hiring odds at the $6.6 billion AI startup ElevenLabs, asserting a 200‑to‑1 disparity. The claim cited roughly 180,000 applicants in the first half of the year and a 0.018% hiring rate for the AI voice agent platform. That figure was extrapolated from a July spike in applications and may have been hyperbolic, yet it went viral. Ultimately, 132 candidates were hired from tens of thousands of applications, a selectivity markedly below Harvard's 3%–4% admissions. ElevenLabs reports rising applicant volume each quarter and frames selectivity as motivating and inspiring.

Read at Fast Company