[tworats]

You should absolutely let it be known who this company is. If you're uncomfortable do it anonymously. Rescinding an offer after a candidate has quit an existing job is shameful and anyone doing it should be outed for all potential candidates to know of.

Don't be embarrassed about asking for your old job back.

And ask the 50 person company to reimburse you - they should pay you for the trouble they've caused. If they're not complete idiots they should agree to at least a month's worth of salary, possibly more. Have them do it as a consulting fee if they're not comfortable phrasing it as damages for their rescinded offer.

[bconway]

You should absolutely let it be known who this company is. If you're uncomfortable do it anonymously. Rescinding an offer after a candidate has quit an existing job is shameful and anyone doing it should be outed for all potential candidates to know of.

What if a major funding event had fallen through, and the company rescinding all outstanding offers and cutting expenses allows half of those 50 employees to retain their jobs for another month? Truth is, you have no idea what's going on at that company. These decisions usually aren't made lightly. I say this as someone that's been in the exact same position in the past. Move on, holding a grudge will only hurt the OP.

[logic]

This exact situation happened with me prior to starting my current position. Let me tell a short story.

I received a formal offer from the new organization, gave my notice at the previous employer and closed out my projects, and made plans to spend a couple of weeks having a proper several-years-delayed honeymoon with my wife, and then a week visiting family and getting my head ready for the new role. As I was waiting to board the plane to visit my family, I saw on the news that the organization I was joining (government-funded) got a surprise during a weekend political negotiating session, and had their budget for the remainder of the year slashed by a ridiculous amount. This hit them hard enough that they were already talking about furloughs and layoffs to the media, and had an all-hands meeting about the issue scheduled.

By the time the plane landed, I had voicemail waiting for me from the fellow who was going to be my new boss; as soon as he heard what was happening, he immediately started asking his superiors about outstanding offers, and was informed in no uncertain terms that already-issued offers were being honored (but obviously, no new offers would be issued), and he made sure I understood that he was available for any questions I might have. I, along with everyone else in the organization, experienced rolling furloughs for the next few quarters, and a round of voluntary layoffs and additional emergency funding finally helped them make it through until the next budget cycle.

That is precisely how you handle a situation like this: you honor your obligations, and preferably do so proactively, and with a keen eye to how you are impacting people who have placed their trust in you and your organization.

Reneging on your obligations, especially in a situation as nuanced as the posters' (a suggestion to simply "move on" is much easier said than done when you're on an H1B), is the definition of unprofessionalism, and is a direct reflection on them as businesspeople. While I don't recommend he "out" them because of how it might reflect on him later in his career, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a little voice of schadenfreude in the back of my mind hoping he lets their name slip.

[tworats]

Companies should not be making offers for positions they cannot afford, regardless of what's going on at the company. If the money is not in the bank they shouldn't be making the offer. This is serious stuff; they're playing with people's lives here.

The people at this company are incompetent, stupid, unethical, or some combination thereof. They should be exposed. It's not about holding a grudge; it's about letting other potential candidates know of the risks, and of making sure there's a penalty for this kind of behavior.

And yes, I've been in similar positions as a hiring manager in both small and large companies. Offers that cannot be guaranteed should not be made; once made, they should not be rescinded.

[mulch]

What if a major funding event had fallen through

Then that begs the question: did the company misrepresent its funding status? Perhaps the OP didn't ask but it sounds like he did his research. It's always good to ask these questions:

- How much locked-in funding do you have?

- How long can the company go on at the current burn rate?

- What is the current projected point where the company's revenues will grow to match expenses?

I have no idea whether the OP asked some/all of those nor whether or not the company misrepresented its funding status.