@UKMonkey - each applicant must judge for themselves what they are willing to disclose and what they won't. If disclosing grades and being asked to disclose grades is that distasteful, decline the interview and move on to the next opportunity.

@UKMonkey Telling the CEO that they are requesting rubbish is even worse. Like the answer states "Only provide them if you want the job." Don't get on your high horse and judge their request; it's not the CEO that needs this job after all...

@MonkeyZeus Your comment suggests that you don't appreciate that an interview is a 2 way process. They judge you; and you judge them. If the question were as irrelevant as "can you thread a needle?" then the judging is pretty clear. As with many things; the relevance of a question is on a scale; and this scale is subjective. As such; I completely agree with Joe's reply to my comment....

@UKMonkey I 100% agree that it's a two way process but telling the CEO that their request is rubbish is akin to pulling out a knife on the other player during tennis because they've sent the ball into your court.

@MonkeyZeus Have you ever been asked to show your grades when applying for a job? Hardly as commonplace as a tennis volley, don't you think?

@Lumberjack it really isn't for some positions. Granted that for developers that concept may seem weird, but for work that places more effort on theoretical fields, like math, physics, grades are a common thing to request. And as common it is for them to not be perfect, and still, get hired anyway.

@Lumberjack Absolutely, especially with reputable employers. I've held 3 jobs in my field since graduating with a bachelor's degree and 2 of them have requested transcripts. The primary reason being that employers wish to verify the existence of a person's degree especially when it is a requirement of the position. Far too many people are boasting degrees and grades which they did not achieve. "Trust but verify" is the name of the game. Trust gets you interviewed but Verification gets you hired.

Classes you took two years ago are not irrelevant.

@UKMonkey, of course interviews are a 2-way process. This is part of the process, and it's up to the OP to decide if this request is a deal-breaker. Joe's answer is a good one.

Whether its irrelevant or not is subjective.

An employer can determine degree legitimacy without needing the transcript, but the transcript is simply the easiest way. ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/…

Isn’t one of the main points of formally studying getting ready to be able to provide your livelihood, most often by providing value to a company or other organization? Why would you NOT show your grades?

@FedericoPoloni - No. But of course transcripts don't have anything to do with a protected class. I don't think I understand your point in asking that question.

I just meant to point out that there is an important exception to the general principle "don't turn down specific requests by the CEO".

@FedericoPoloni - sure. What I wrote was only meant to apply in the stated context. For example, if the CEO requested that you jump out the window of their skyscraper office, I'd expect the candidate to at least think it over a bit before deciding to comply. "Hmm, I wonder if this might be one of those important exceptions where it's acceptable to turn down the request?" Hopefully the edit I made makes it clearer.

@Josh Yes, subjective. Meaning someone can decide if the grades are relevant. Unfortunately the person who gets to decide in this case is the CEO. When I said "not irrelevent" I meant "not obviously irrelevent", like you shoe size or your racial origin.

@UKMonkey To be clear, you feel it's rubbish to ask someone for a transcript 2 years removed? Or you are simply supporting OP's claim where they say they feel it is not relevant.