These companies posted roles labeled 'remote' or 'work from anywhere' but added MENA-blocking clauses in the JD, the application form, or the EoR rejection email.
The pattern
- JD says 'Remote — Global', screening asks 'Are you US/EU based?'
- EoR list excludes Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia, Lebanon
- Timezone requirement narrower than 'must overlap 4 hours'
- Background-check vendor doesn't operate in MENA → silent reject
Flagged this month
| Company | Role | Stated | Reality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acme Cloud | Senior SRE | Remote — Worldwide | US + EU only |
| Northbeam | Product Designer | Remote — Global | EoR list excludes all MENA |
| Loop Labs | Backend Engineer | Anywhere | Must overlap 6h PST |
| Vector AI | ML Engineer | Remote | Background check vendor doesn't cover Egypt |
| Pulse OS | Data Analyst | Remote — EMEA | EU passport required |
| Stride | Customer Success | Worldwide | US tax residence required |
| Helix | Frontend Engineer | Anywhere | Must be EU-based |
| Beacon | DevOps | Remote | GMT±2 hard requirement |
| Anchor.dev | Engineering Manager | Global | Series-A — US-only equity grants |
We've reached out to each company. Three updated their JDs within 48 hours. We'll re-list cleared companies in next month's edition.
How to spot one before applying
- Search the company name + 'MENA' or '+ Egypt' on Glassdoor / Reddit
- Check the careers page for an 'eligible countries' fine print
- Look at their team page — if zero MENA names, treat as a flag
- Ask in your screening call: 'Which EoR do you use and which countries are on the list?'