'Dating the AI Prompt Man': Olivia Rodrigo Dragged Over New Boyfriend's 'Fake Job' Controversy

Olivia Rodrigo is facing online criticism after photographs linked her to investor Julian Croonenberghs, prompting social media users to revive one of the singer's lyrics about refusing to date a man with a 'fake job'.

The discussion has spread across X and TikTok, where some users have questioned whether Croonenberghs' reported work in artificial intelligence conflicts with Rodrigo's public image and previous comments.

Neither Rodrigo nor Croonenberghs has publicly commented on the reported relationship.

Olivia Rodrigo and the 'Fake Job' Backlash

The news came after Rodrigo was reported to have split from Louis Partridge in December 2025, with reports saying the pair ended things after two years and that she was emotional at Lily Allen's Christmas party.

Other entertainment coverage later repeated that timeline, while noting the split had not been publicly confirmed by Rodrigo herself.

Since then, the singer has been linked with Croonenberghs, after photographs reportedly showed the two together earlier this year and again while travelling from Iceland to New York this week.

The photographs quickly prompted widespread discussion online, with much of the debate focusing on Croonenberghs' reported career rather than the relationship itself.

Olivia Rodrigo and Julian Croonenberghs

According to media reports, Croonenberghs graduated from Brown University with a degree in mathematics and computer science, played for the US Men's National Field Hockey Team from 2018 to 2020, and speaks Dutch and French.

The same coverage says he previously worked at Goldman Sachs before moving into a private equity associate role at HG.

Some social media users criticised the reported relationship because of Croonenberghs' association with artificial intelligence investments. Critics have seized on HG's work in artificial intelligence and argued that Rodrigo, who has often been outspoken on politics, looks hypocritical for being linked to someone in that space.

Some social media users have gone further, calling her earlier political comments 'hollow' and 'performative,' though those claims remain opinion rather than verified fact.

The internet, as ever, has gone a bit mad with it. One post quoted in the reporting read, 'How can u sing about disdain for guys with 'fake jobs' and then go date the prompt man from the AI private equity factory,' while another said Rodrigo should stop 'normalising AI by removing human capital in the corporate world.'

A third user wrote, 'Is she ok? She 'speaks out' against smtg but still promotes/uses it anyways.'

How Rodrigo's 'Fake Job' Lyric Became Part of the Debate

The real fuel for the row is a line from Rodrigo's song 'Expectations,' in which she sings, 'I won't settle for a guy with a fake job.' Social media users connected the lyric to Croonenberghs' reported career, arguing that the relationship appeared inconsistent with the song's message.

Some fans argued the lyric was never intended as a literal statement about career choices, while others viewed it as inconsistent with Rodrigo's reported relationship. A line written as a dating put-down is being treated like an oath carved into stone, and the result is a lot of overcooked outrage about a person many commenters had never heard of 48 hours ago.

Still, the reaction says something about how quickly celebrity relationships are now read through politics, class and tech anxiety.

Rodrigo has not commented publicly on either the photographs or the online criticism, and neither she nor Croonenberghs has confirmed the nature of their relationship.

For now, the controversy is driven largely by social media interpretation rather than any statement from those involved.