03/02/2026
We see a lot in tech hiring, but this one was hard to miss.
Recently, our colleague Zakhar Pikulytskyi joined a video interview with a candidate who introduced himself as Nemanja from Podgorica, Montenegro.
From the first seconds something felt off. The face barely moved, no natural expressions, odd lip sync. It looked wrong in a way that is difficult to ignore once you notice it.
Then came the voice. The English had a clear Asian accent, which did not align with the profile or background at all. That was the second red flag.
To be sure, Zakhar switched to Serbo-Croatian (he speaks a bit) and asked a simple question. Silence. A few seconds later, the candidate disconnected and disappeared.
Deepfake candidates are not a theory anymore. They show up in real interviews, in real hiring processes, and they waste real time.
This is exactly why live interviews, human intuition, and proper verification still matter. AI can help hiring, but it can also be used to fake it.
