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British AI startup backed by Microsoft and the Qatar Investment Authority, Builder.ai, filed for bankruptcy after its CEO said a major creditor had seized most of its cash. Bloomberg reports they had a 'fake it till you make it' strategy while having inflated 2024 revenue projections by 300%. Instead of AI, the company was actually using a fleet of more than 700 Indian engineers from social media startup VerSe Innovation for years to actually write the code.
According to Bloomberg, Builder.ai and VerSe Innovation 'routinely billed one another for roughly the same amounts between 2021 and 2024,' in an alleged practice known as "round-tripping" that people said Builder.ai used to inflate revenue figures that were then presented to investors.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ndian-firm-verse-to-inflate-sales-sources-say
According to Bloomberg, Builder.ai and VerSe Innovation 'routinely billed one another for roughly the same amounts between 2021 and 2024,' in an alleged practice known as "round-tripping" that people said Builder.ai used to inflate revenue figures that were then presented to investors.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ndian-firm-verse-to-inflate-sales-sources-say