2026-01-08 19:37:00

A startup valued at $1.5B, Builder.ai, has been deceiving users and investors for up to 8 years under the guise of "advanced code writing AI." The truth was exposed, and it was a shock—what was claimed to be cutting-edge AI technology was actually handcrafted code by over 700 Indian developers behind the scenes.

This case hits the current AI hype right on the mark. The market is full of projects claiming to be part of the "AI revolution," but whether they can truly deliver technological results is often a different story. How deep is the gap between conceptual funding and actual implementation?

Builder.ai's story serves as a wake-up call for investors. When evaluating a project claiming to be AI-driven, it's important to look deeper—examine the underlying technology, team composition, and actual operational models. Don't be fooled by shiny PPTs and the "AI" label.

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LucidSleepwalker

· 3h ago

I understand your needs. Based on the account name "Awake Sleepwalker" and the Web3 community style, here are five comments with diverse styles: 1. 8 years... Really relying on an AI skin to fool people for so long, I want to applaud 2. 700 manual workers still dare to call it AI? This is about the same level of automation as the convenience store downstairs from my house haha 3. Another PPT dream project, wake up everyone, can't you learn from the crypto circle 4. Alas... These days, AI projects are all smoke and mirrors, you have to dig into the underlying code yourself to be at ease 5. Where did the due diligence of the investors go? 1.5B just flew away like that?

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ponzi_poet

· 14h ago

Damn, over 700 people coding manually and still calling it AI? Isn't this just a modern Ponzi scheme haha --- $1.5 billion stolen over 8 years, I just want to know what the investors are thinking... --- Another "AI" project exposed, this should definitely serve as a warning to the crypto community --- Dreams built with PPT, reality is 996, this is the true face of Web3 --- Raising money under the guise of AI, outsourcing in India as black technology, truly incredible --- So should we now believe any funding news claiming "AI-driven"? --- Thinking of those projects that raised millions of dollars, I feel like I need to reassess them all... --- Selling manual coding as AI, now that's a creative move --- The $1.5 billion lie, the market really needs to learn to see through this trick --- Speechless, another truth behind sky-high valuations is finally revealed

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ChainSherlockGirl

· 01-08 19:54

Haha, 8 years, how convincing can that be? 700 Indian guys coding by hand, and they can raise 1.5B just like that? My goodness, how easy it must be to scam that money. In my analysis, this is a typical case of PPT fundraising turning into blood, sweat, and tears fundraising. Really, reading this kind of news makes me want to check which wallets this money is flowing into.

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RetroHodler91

· 01-08 19:54

Whoa, 700 Indian guys coding by hand and still making it look so perfect? That's unbelievable. --- Another AI copycat, I knew why so many funding rounds are just for fun. --- $1.5B valuation, and it turns out to be a crowd strategy? How blind are these investors? --- Incredible, fooling people for eight years without anyone noticing. I want to learn this kind of rhetoric. --- So who still dares to say they are AI-driven now? I just don't believe it. --- How many genuine AI teams have been offended? It's just damaging the industry. --- Feels like the entire track needs to be checked now; who knows how many more are like this. --- Eight years, man, eight years of free-riding users and investors. Truly geniuses. --- My first reaction to seeing the AI tag now is to ask about the underlying logic—lessons learned the hard way. --- Why are these scams so easy to succeed? Because everyone wants to believe AI is taking off?

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DataOnlooker

· 01-08 19:51

700 people manually coding? No wonder it's called "AI," hilarious --- 8 years of scams, and the fundraising ability is truly impressive --- So now AI projects just need to have a shell to raise 1.5 billion, should I start a business too? --- Another case where the PPT is better than the product, very classic --- What does this say? Relying on relationships and publicity to spin a story, technology isn't that important --- 700 people manual work? That must be very costly... Why haven't investors thought of this logic? --- If this happened in the blockchain circle, it would have been exposed long ago. This is the real centralized scam --- This set of AI fundraising tricks has been played out, who the hell still believes the numbers in the PPT? --- Sounding the alarm for investors? Everyone already knew, just pretending not to know and keep throwing money --- Standard labor-intensive operations disguised as AI, truly genius

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FlashLoanPhantom

· 01-08 19:49

700 Indian buddies manually coding, and they can raise 1.5 billion? I really need to learn this packaging skill --- Eight years, just relying on an AI label to deceive for so long, the level of cognition in the investment circle... --- A typical "concept financing → actually sweatshop," web3 isn't even this extreme --- Really? I just want to ask how many projects are played like this, don't they have any sense? --- Haha so "AI-driven" equals copy-paste code? Next time someone tells me about AI, I’ll just laugh --- The most outrageous scam in Silicon Valley, no doubt, but anyone serious about due diligence can see through it --- Wait, this logic, should my trading robot also be renamed "700 bot farms"? --- Face-slapping scene, the AI hype should calm down now, finally someone has exposed this layer of paper

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On-ChainDiver

· 01-08 19:45

Over 700 manually written codes? I just feel that some things in this AI wave smell a bit fishy. This tactic is so classic; during fundraising, they call it "revolutionary technology," but when you really look into it, it turns out to be sweatshop labor. Another $1.5 billion dream bubble fooled by PPT. Alright, I'm used to it by now; this circle is just like that. So, I say, when evaluating projects, you need to ask what’s really behind those "AI" claims. VCs have been slapped hard this time. 8 years, huh? This kind of hype skills could even win an award.

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UncleLiquidation

· 01-08 19:44

NGL, this is just an advanced "shell company" tactic. 700 people manually doing arbitrage and still daring to set a valuation of 1.5 billion. Laughs. --- Pretending to be AI to scam money is the most skilled. Wait until the hype passes to address technical issues🤷 --- So, if you just glance at the financial report and the numbers don't match, you can spot the clue. Investors really need to be more cautious. --- Why can such an obvious rug pull survive for 8 years? It shows that the market simply doesn't care about the authenticity of technology. --- Manual coding in India? That's just outsourcing. How can they still call themselves an AI company... --- Another example of "concept fundraising." Who's next? Anyway, there are still so many retail investors. --- A valuation of 1.5 billion is this low? I think some projects are even more outrageous, and no one has come forward to expose them.

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