
Will.i.am's AI Startup hasn't paid staff in 7 weeks - atlasunshrugged
https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/25/20932055/wink-smart-home-problems-iamplus-william-black-eyed-peas
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anm89
> will.i.am's AI startup raised a 100m round.

Nope, no bubble to see here. Definitely just a regular healthy market doing
healthy market stuff.

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vaxman
Roger Mcnamee and Bill McGlashan did something similar to Bono, though Mcnamee
at least got Bono his cash back. In Will's case, it looks to be some notorious
Indian national with a checkered past that took him for a ride. (I can totally
relate.) If these people had tried as hard as Bono and Will did but then
failed, you can bet these artists would be the first to understand; but that's
not what happened. Their product was always about sucking cash from some rich
celebrity and using it to take risks that they themselves wouldn't have taken
on their own, even if they had the means to do so. It's one of many reasons
why many VCs these days simply use OPM (and all of the ensuing chaos that
happens while trying to protect their funds LPs). have no fear, Bono and
will.i.am are legit enough (again, weird to include them in same sentence)
that they can pull millions out of thin air with nothing more than a MacBook
and a set of, uh...headphones...make that RED headphones. :)

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Waterluvian
If you work for a tech company and the contract you sign at the beginning says
you're paid every two weeks. If seven weeks pass can you just stop working and
not be fired?

I ask because I'm trying to understand why someone would keep working. My only
guess is that they're afraid they'll get fired and never paid.

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grawprog
I'm not sure, but I don't work for free. I stop being paid, I stop working.
Why should i freely give up my time to make someone else money?

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Nextgrid
In most at-will-employment countries/states you can just stop showing up and
the worst they can do is fire you. Sure, you’d loose your unused holidays and
potential bonuses, but if the company is too broke to even pay your salary did
you really expect to get those bonuses anyway?

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grawprog
Pretty much and the thing is, businesses that don't remember their employees
are the ones there every day making them their money aren't worth working for.
Even when/if things get better, the treatment won't change. There'll be
something else. It's not like this company is some upstart, starry eyed and
hopeful first time startup or anything.

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Aperocky
Sounds like another example of company dribbling too many balls and end up
making none of the shots.

Smart watch, smart home and a AI powered chatbot with AI retail experience?
Sounds like a desperate company getting whoever that would be naive enough
trust it’s lies.

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weare138
Whoever thought a no name tech company founded by the guy from the Black Eyed
Peas was a good investment kind of had this coming.

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vaxman
i.am+ was founded by will.i.am, who is globally known to be the founder of The
BEPs, which he started with no money.

this story about i.am+ going broke is likely planted by H1B workers that are
turning on him and the somewhat notorious Indian CEO that has had his hand in
will's pocket for far too long. if they had done their job right, or even done
what they obviously promised to do, they might be in better shape over there,
don't you think?

by the way, one of those people that you think has "this coming" is widely
known to be Marc Benioff, the Founder of Salesforce, who is himself fighting
hard to ensure that people treat you right (and let you keep trying to start a
tech company) after you finally become homeless.

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weare138
But there's a broader aspect to this. will.i.am is a pop musician. Obviously
he's successful in the music industry but why would anyone think he can
suddenly found and run a tech company?

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justinator
Beats by Dre seems to be doing OK.

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legostormtroopr
Is “Beats by Dre” a “tech” company? I would class it as a traditional
manufacturing/sales company that sells audio equipment. And his role as a
prolific rapper and producer makes that a good synergy.

~~~
exxybebbi
Beats is a marketing company IMO

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alephnan
> i.am+ co-founder and CEO Chandrasekar Rathakrishnan

This is the same person from the CrunchPad / Joo Joo Linux tablet debacle.

Michael Arrington founder of TechCrunch worked with Rathakrishan’s dev company
to develop an affordable Linux tablet (Crunchpad). Disputes arose and the dev
company proceeded to release the tablet under a different name (Joo Joo).

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kalpisidia
sounds like he was chasing too many buzzwords and Masa wasn't interested in
bailing him out

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sodosopa
When will i.am become i.was?

~~~
vaxman
[https://youtu.be/gHN-EhL8x3g](https://youtu.be/gHN-EhL8x3g)

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scoot
#FiyahFestival?

(No lessons learned.)

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Emphere
The racism is in this thread is something else.

