A British man named Matt Buckland shared a hilarious Twitter anecdote about karmic retribution in February 2015. The highly ironic tweet, illustrating strange, cosmic justice, went viral, entertained millions, and still circulates today.
Buckland was traveling to work on a London subway one Monday morning during rush hour when a harried commuter pushed him out of the way, muttering an expletive at him as he went.
Buckland, then a human resources executive at London-based venture capital firm Forward Partners, brushed off the unpleasant encounter and continued on his way to work, yet he hadn’t heard the last of that man.
“Karma,” Buckland posted on Feb. 16, 2015, “the guy who pushed past me on the tube and then suggested I go F myself just arrived for his interview ... with me.”
The job seeker, Buckland realized, had no idea that he had come face to face with the same man from the subway encounter upon entering the interview room that Monday afternoon.
Buckland explained that by the end of the interview, he and the job seeker had laughed over the retrospective comedy of their earlier encounter and were “both happy.” Buckland even asked for the interviewee’s blessing before sharing the cautionary tale of karmic retribution online.
“Oh, that is delicious,” wrote one Twitter user. “I thought this was the sort of thing that only happens in movies.”
“I wonder how this interview went,” added another. “Did you hold it against him?”
“When you interview you are looking for a read of skills,” the HR executive explained, “but also to know if that person is a real human being. [I]t’s about that connection.”
Buckland concluded by expressing hope that his interviewee may learn to maintain “a better attitude” on his morning commute, as he just might need some help from a fellow commuter himself one day.