Jordan Zietz

Jordan Zietz
Jordan Zietz smiling outdoors in a dark jacket and white shirt
EducationStanford University (BS)
OccupationEntrepreneur
TitleCEO of LemonLime

Jordan Zietz is an entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of LemonLime, a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence startup. A 2024 graduate of Stanford University, he drew criticism in July 2026 after promoting an offer of job interviews to party guests who got LemonLime tattoos.

Before LemonLime, Zietz gained national attention as the 44th Stanford Tree, the university's unofficial mascot, a role from which he was suspended in 2022 for displaying a banner that read "Stanford Hates Fun" on the field during a football game. His other prior ventures include founding GameReef and All-Star eSports League, and co-founding the social app Confetti.

Early life and education

Zietz is a Florida native and attended Pine Crest School. He studied management science and engineering at Stanford University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 2024. From 2021 to 2024, he was a member of the editorial board of The Stanford Flipside, a student satirical newspaper. In April 2023, he appeared as a contestant on Wheel of Fortune, representing Stanford during the show's College Week Spring Break episodes.

Stanford Tree

During the 2022–23 academic year, Zietz served as the 44th Stanford Tree, the official mascot of the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band and the unofficial mascot of the university.

On October 22, 2022, during the Stanford University football game against Arizona State, Zietz and three other students, including Arizona State's mascot, carried a 40-foot banner across the field which read "Stanford Hates Fun". The slogan referred to student complaints about the university administration's handling of social life.

Following the stunt, the band's executive committee suspended Zietz from the role. The committee said the decision concerned his use of the position "for personal benefit" and was unrelated to the banner's message.

A student-led campaign protested Zietz's suspension and the university's social-life policies at the November 5 football game against Washington State, including the creation of a petition calling for Zietz's reinstatement which attracted over 700 signatures.

In 2023, Zietz judged auditions for the role and selected Emily Rodriguez as his successor.

Career

Early businesses

Zietz started his first business, GameReef, through a Young Entrepreneurs Academy program supported by the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. In 2019, he founded the All-Star eSports League, which offered free, sponsor-funded competitions through which high school esports clubs could compete against one another and pursue college scholarships.

Zietz later co-founded Confetti, a social networking platform.

LemonLime

In early 2026, Zietz co-founded San Francisco artificial intelligence startup LemonLime alongside co-founder Daniela Muñoz. The company develops software to automate sales and marketing for small businesses. The company joined Y Combinator's Summer 2026 batch.

Tattoo controversy

In July 2026, during Y Combinator's Startup School weekend, Zietz hosted an afterparty at LemonLime's San Francisco office. Y Combinator told Inc. that it had neither sponsored the party nor included it in Startup School. In a since-deleted LinkedIn post, Zietz wrote that the company had brought a tattoo artist to the party and offered an "instant interview" to anyone who got a LemonLime tattoo; according to the post, seven people received tattoos. Zietz told Inc. that he, Muñoz and other LemonLime team members also received tattoos.

The post drew widespread criticism online. Zietz later deleted the posts and apologized. He described the event as "reckless" and said it had shown poor judgment by appearing to tie a permanent tattoo to a job opportunity. He said participants had chosen their own tattoos, that no one had been asked to get the company logo, that interviews had been available to everyone and that LemonLime would cover removal costs for anyone who later regretted a tattoo. In an August 2026 interview with Wired, Zietz said that some of those tattooed had not been seeking jobs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "LemonLime". Y Combinator. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Pohle, Allison; Cutter, Chip (July 31, 2026). "AI Startup Apologizes for Offering Job Interviews in Exchange for Company Tattoos". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Guynn, Jessica (July 30, 2026). "Tech CEO in hot mess over tattoo-for-job-interview tit for tat". USA Today. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Belkin, Douglas (December 22, 2022). "'Stanford Hates Fun': Students Revolt After Tree Mascot Suspension". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  5. ↑ Bonagura, Kyle (October 31, 2022). "Stanford student suspended from serving as Tree mascot". ESPN. Retrieved October 14, 2026.; Gonzalez, Isabel (October 31, 2022). "Stanford Tree mascot suspended for holding 'Stanford hates fun' sign during game". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 14, 2026.; Borba, Kevin (October 31, 2022). "Stanford's beloved tree mascot suspended for antics taking place during Arizona State game". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Jordan Zietz is solving the problem plaguing gamers nationwide". Kidpreneurs. July 8, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Ozebek, Kevin; Hall, Darcelle (January 17, 2020). "Competing for College: South Florida high school senior creates esports league for students to earn scholarships". WSVN. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Fearn, Georgia (July 30, 2026). "A Startup Offered Job Interviews to Anyone Willing to Get Its Logo Tattooed. 7 People Took the Deal". Inc. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Davis, Christine (July 1, 2015). "Business Spotlight: Eau Resort & Spa managers give their best for Habitat". The Coastal Star. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  10. ↑ 134th Commencement: List of Conferred Degrees and Degree Candidates (PDF). Stanford University. June 15, 2025. p. 12. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 Vainshtein, Annie (July 30, 2026). "CEO apologizes for offering interviews to people who got tattoos of his AI company logo". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Staff". The Stanford Flipside. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  13. ↑ "College Week Spring Break 4". Wheel of Fortune. Season 40. Episode 149. April 6, 2023. Syndication.
  14. 1 2 3 Chen, Caroline; Kim, Yana (November 1, 2022). "Stanford Tree gets the axe, suspended until January". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  15. 1 2 Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Sofia (May 4, 2023). "Meet the sapling: Bravery and new beginnings with Emily Rodriguez '26, the 45th Stanford Tree". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Baker, Theo (October 24, 2022). "Inside "Stanford's War On Fun": Tensions mount over University's handling of social life". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  17. ↑ Peterson, Callia; Chen, Caroline; Cu, Mark Allen; Strawser, Sebastian (November 6, 2022). "'Stanford Hates Fun' protests campus social life restrictions during football game". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 Holaday, Carsen (July 30, 2026). "Tech founder responds to backlash after guaranteeing 'instant interview' to anybody getting company tattoo". The Independent. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  19. ↑ Cramer, Jude (July 30, 2026). "A Y-Combinator startup offered job interviews in exchange for getting a tattoo—because they want employees 'just as crazy as we are'". Fast Company. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  20. ↑ Quiroz-Gutierrez, Marco (July 31, 2026). "YC-backed AI startup faces backlash after founder offered interviews for tattoos, then apologized". Fortune. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  21. ↑ Hicks, William (July 30, 2026). "YC founder asks desperate job seekers to tattoo themselves for an interview". The San Francisco Standard. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  22. ↑ Gil, Bruce (July 30, 2026). "Startup Founder Apologizes After Offering Interviews to People Who Got Tattoos". Gizmodo. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  23. ↑ Taylor, Kate (August 12, 2026). "The Job-Interview Tattoo Guy Everyone Got Mad at Finally Explains Himself". Wired. Retrieved October 17, 2026.