Austin Franco said Cornell University had not taken disciplinary action against him after his remarks drew more than 2 million views online. The rising junior said in a video posted to X on July 22 that he remained enrolled and had not been told anything was happening on Cornell's back end.
July 22 on X
Franco said, “As of now, they said there's not anything going on on their back end.” He added, “I think because I didn't say anything that could be classified as hateful. There wasn't really a leg they could go on.”
He also said Cornell and its advocacy team had contacted him. In the same video, he said he remained a student at Cornell University, keeping the case centered on whether the university had moved beyond referral and review.
Cornell Office of Civil Rights
Cornell University said in a June statement that it had learned of a deeply disturbing comment by a student on the Handshake platform in violation of the online job board's terms of service. The university said the incident was referred to the Cornell Office of Civil Rights for investigation under university policy.
That process matters because referral leaves room for action under university rules even when a student says nothing has happened yet. Cornell also said it condemns antisemitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination in the strongest possible terms.
Gabe Einhorn and Aiden Einhorn
The dispute began after Franco wrote, “Not interested in working for a jew. Thanks,” in response to Gabe Einhorn and Aiden Einhorn. Gabe Einhorn posted the eight-word message to X on June 8 and later said he is proudly Jewish. Franco later wrote, “My experiences with Jews have not been pleasant, both in person and online,” and told The Cornell Daily Sun that he identified the men as Jewish from their “first and last name, LinkedIn, and physiognomy.”
Franco said, “That part was not included in the chopped up edit they released,” when reached by The Independent. He also said in an interview with Accuracy in Media, “I mean I thought I was being nice. Saying this is why I don't want to work for you,” leaving Cornell's review and any possible discipline to determine what comes next for him.
