Terms of service

1. What AlumniStack does

AlumniStack is a free, voluntary, peer-to-peer network that connects tech employees impacted by layoffs with companies hiring. It is operated by an individual (the “Operator”) as a side project. By submitting a form on this site, joining the network, posting a hiring need, or otherwise using AlumniStack (collectively, the “Service”), you accept these Terms. If you do not accept them, do not use the Service.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into a binding agreement to use the Service. You may not use the Service if you are barred from it under the laws of the United States or your country of residence.

3. Honest representations

Information you submit must be truthful and your own. Do not misrepresent your role history, current employment, identity, or hiring intent. Misrepresentation is grounds for immediate removal from the network and is a material breach of these Terms.

4. Acceptable use

You will not, and will not permit any third party to:

• scrape, crawl, or harvest data from the Service by any means;
• use the Service to source candidates as a recruiting agency on behalf of clients without express prior written permission from the Operator;
• send unsolicited communications to anyone whose information you obtain through the Service;
• impersonate any person or entity;
• upload viruses, malicious code, or attempt to compromise the Service or its underlying infrastructure;
• use the Service for any unlawful purpose;
• resell, license, or commercialize access to the Service or any data obtained from it.

5. No employment, agency, or fiduciary relationship

AlumniStack is not an employment agency or a recruiter. The Operator does not employ, represent, or act as a fiduciary for any candidate or employer. The Service introduces candidates and companies; it does not negotiate, place, hire, fire, pay, screen for legal eligibility, conduct background checks, verify credentials beyond a basic LinkedIn cross-check, or guarantee any outcome. All hiring decisions, employment relationships, compensation, equity, benefits, and disputes are exclusively between the candidate and the employer.

6. No warranties — AS IS

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Operator disclaims all warranties, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, completeness, availability, security, and uninterrupted operation. No advice or information obtained from the Service creates any warranty not expressly stated in these Terms.

7. Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE OPERATOR'S TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100), REGARDLESS OF THE LEGAL THEORY (CONTRACT, TORT, STATUTE, OR OTHERWISE) AND EVEN IF THE OPERATOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. The Operator is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including lost profits, lost data, loss of goodwill, business interruption, missed offers, withdrawn offers, terminated employment, or any decision a candidate or employer makes based on information or introductions facilitated by the Service. Because the Service is provided at no charge, you acknowledge that the allocation of risk in these Terms is reasonable and a material inducement to the Operator's willingness to provide the Service for free.

8. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Operator (including any past, present, or future employees, contractors, advisors, and affiliated entities) from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use or misuse of the Service; (b) any content or information you submit; (c) your violation of these Terms; (d) your violation of any applicable law; or (e) any claim by a third party related to your use of the Service.

9. Intellectual property

The Operator owns the AlumniStack name, brand, design, code, copy, and all related intellectual property. You retain ownership of the information you submit, but you grant the Operator a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, display, and use that information solely for the purposes of operating the Service and facilitating intros. You may revoke this license at any time by requesting deletion of your data (see our privacy policy); we will act on deletion requests within 7 days of receipt.

10. Privacy

Our handling of your personal information is described in the privacy policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. Read it.

11. Termination

The Operator may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, for any reason or no reason, with or without notice. You may stop using the Service and request deletion of your account at any time via the link on the privacy page. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, intellectual property, and governing law) will survive.

12. Governing law and venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service that is not resolved through good-faith negotiation must be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in San Diego County, California, and you consent to personal jurisdiction and venue there.

13. Informal resolution first

Before initiating any formal legal action, you agree to first contact hello@alumnistack.com to attempt to resolve the dispute informally. The parties will negotiate in good faith for at least 30 days before proceeding to court.

14. No class actions

You and the Operator agree that any dispute will be resolved on an individual basis only and not as part of any class, consolidated, or representative action. If a court finds this class-action waiver unenforceable in a particular case, the remainder of these Terms still applies.

15. Severability and entire agreement

If any part of these Terms is held unenforceable, the remainder remains in full force and effect. These Terms, together with the privacy policy, are the entire agreement between you and the Operator regarding the Service and supersede any prior agreements.

16. Changes

The Operator may update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be flagged at the top of this page. Continued use of the Service after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

17. Contact

Questions about these Terms? hello@alumnistack.com.