Terms of Service

1. Who can use Tapped

You must be at least 18 years old and legally authorized to work in the country for which you are considering employment. If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization (a "Company"), you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

2. What Tapped does

Tapped is a curated marketplace connecting early-career engineering candidates with hiring companies. Tapped facilitates introductions; we do not guarantee offers, interviews, or employment outcomes. Candidates retain full discretion over whether to accept any connection or offer. Companies retain full discretion over whom they hire.

Tapped acts as a contingency-based permanent placement agent for participating Companies. We are not an employer, employment agency under California Private Employment Agency rules, or staffing provider.

3. Accounts

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us at security@jointapped.com immediately if you suspect unauthorized access. Candidate accounts authenticate via Firebase; company and administrator accounts authenticate via Clerk. You are responsible for the accuracy of information you provide, including LinkedIn URLs, employment history, and assessment results.

4. Candidate obligations

• You will provide accurate information during onboarding, assessments, and interviews.
• You will not misrepresent your experience, education, or authorization to work.
• You will not share, copy, or otherwise circulate assessment content with third parties. Assessment integrity is critical to the marketplace.
• Declining an offer on Tapped will not affect your standing. However, accepting an offer and then withdrawing without good faith engagement may affect eligibility for future cycles.

5. Company obligations

• You will engage actively with candidates introduced through Tapped. Prolonged inactivity may result in loss of your slot (see Slot Retention below).
• You will pay the placement fee as set out in your signed agreement, equal to 25% of the candidate's first-year base salary, invoiced after confirmed hire.
• You will not use the Service to solicit candidates for positions other than those you present through Tapped, nor to circumvent the placement fee by directly hiring a Tapped-introduced candidate off-platform within 12 months of introduction.
• You will not discriminate on any basis protected by federal, state, or local law in your use of the Service.

6. Placement fee

The placement fee is 25% of the first-year annualized base salary of a Tapped-introduced candidate hired by a Company. The fee is invoiced no earlier than the candidate's start date. Equity, bonuses, and signing payments are not included in the fee calculation.

If a Tapped-placed candidate voluntarily resigns or is terminated for cause within 90 days of their start date, the Company may elect either a one-time replacement candidate at no additional fee or a full refund of the placement fee. Tapped must be notified in writing within 14 days of the candidate's departure.

7. Slot retention

Company access is capped at 10 concurrent slots. Active participation is required. Tapped may suspend or remove a Company's access after manual review of prolonged inactivity, including without limitation failure to review batches, failure to update candidate statuses, or failure to respond to candidates in a timely manner.

8. Assessments and third parties

Tapped integrates with third-party assessment platforms and Applicant Tracking Systems ("ATS"). Your use of those platforms is governed by their respective terms. Tapped is not responsible for the conduct, data handling, or availability of third-party services.

9. Intellectual property

Tapped retains all rights in the Service, including its code, design, and content. You retain ownership of information you submit (such as your profile), but grant Tapped a worldwide, royalty-free license to use that information to operate and improve the Service. You grant Companies to whom you are introduced a limited license to consider your profile for employment purposes.

10. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to:

• Reverse-engineer, scrape, or automate interaction with the Service beyond publicly-documented APIs;
• Transmit malware, spam, or content that violates applicable law;
• Impersonate another person, or represent yourself as affiliated with Tapped when you are not;
• Use the Service in violation of export control, sanctions, or labor laws.

11. Termination

You may close your account at any time. Tapped may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, with or without notice, in our reasonable discretion. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (intellectual property, indemnification, limitation of liability, dispute resolution) survive.

12. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. TAPPED DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT CANDIDATES WILL RECEIVE OFFERS OR THAT COMPANIES WILL FILL POSITIONS.

13. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, TAPPED'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (a) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TAPPED IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (b) US$100. TAPPED WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES.

14. Indemnification

You will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Tapped and its officers, employees, and agents from any claim, liability, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your use of the Service, your content, or your violation of these Terms.

15. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California without regard to conflicts-of-law principles. Any dispute arising out of or related to these Terms will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco County, California, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there. Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive relief for intellectual property or confidentiality claims.

16. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be announced via email or in-product notice at least 14 days before taking effect. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

17. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email legal@jointapped.com.