Nearly 900 people applied for just four internship roles at a small flip-phone startup. What happened next says a lot about today’s job market—and what candidates can do to stand out.
The Problem: AI Makes Everyone Sound the Same
Dumb.co sells $20 flip phones designed for people who want less screen time. When the company posted four internship openings (marketing, business & operations, customer success, and technology) on Handshake, the applications poured in.
Many of the cover letters felt polished, generic, and strangely disconnected from the company’s “dumb living” mission. The team quickly realized a big chunk were AI-generated. As Marlee Pelton-Fuentes, who runs the internship program, put it, the letters simply weren’t connecting with what the company actually values.
So they changed the rules mid-process: Applicants had to submit handwritten cover letters.
What Happened When They Asked for Handwriting
The response was surprisingly strong. Roughly 70% of the nearly 900 applicants sent photos of handwritten letters explaining their interest in unplugged living, why they wanted to join Dumb.co, and whether they already used a dumb phone. Another 200–300 people went further and mailed physical applications.
After reviewing the submissions and interviewing about 60 candidates, the company hired 10 interns.
One of them, recent Boston University grad Ian-Karlo Krockel, had struggled to land other internships. For Dumb.co he wrote by hand about the multiple flip phones he already owned, scanned the letter, and got the job.
Why This Matters in an “AI Selecting AI” Market
Recruiters and job seekers are stuck in the same loop. Candidates use tools like ChatGPT or Claude to mass-produce applications. Companies then lean on automated screening to handle the volume. The result, as Wharton professor Judd Kessler described it, is essentially “AI selecting AI to elevate to humans for review.”
Traditional cover letters have lost much of their signal value. A well-written letter no longer proves much about the applicant when the same tools can generate a tailored, error-free version in seconds.
Requiring something that takes real time and personal effort—like handwriting—breaks that cycle. It filters for people who are willing to slow down and show genuine interest.
Practical Takeaways for Job Seekers
- **Expect more “friction” tests.** Handwritten letters, short video responses, or other low-tech requirements are likely to become more common as companies fight AI noise.
- **Use the requirement as a filter in reverse.** If a company asks for something that feels inconvenient, it may signal they care about fit and authenticity. That can be a good sign.
- **Make authenticity your edge.** When everyone else is optimized for volume and polish, a clear, personal, slightly imperfect message stands out.
- **Don’t wait for the perfect process.** Krockel’s story is useful: he had been striking out elsewhere, then matched the company’s unusual ask and landed the role.
In a market where volume often beats quality, the candidates who are willing to do the slightly harder, more human thing may have an advantage. Dumb.co’s experiment is one early example of employers pushing back against the AI flood. It won’t be the last.