The backlash was swift. Slater dug in her heels, detailing her prior work experience and history of unpaid internships early in her career. And although some 43% of internships at for-profit companies are unpaid with many employers seeing these temp jobs as a "rite of passage," many across social media spoke to the inequity of the concept. "The problem with unpaid internships is only rich people can do them," wrote one Twitter user. "If you need to make a living you can't use that "great opportunity" to get experience or advance. That is why they are bulls---." Yet another wrote, "The problem with unpaid internships, is that only people who can afford to not earn an income for an extended period, could afford to apply. So, the pool of applicants is restricted by their economic circumstances. It's exclusionary."