Connect with us
https://yoursportsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/call-to-1.png

Technology

$1.5 Billion AI Startup Company Backed by Microsoft, ‘BuilderAI’, Turned Out to Just Be 700 Indian Dudes Programming From an Office

Business Today – Builder.ai, once touted as a revolutionary AI startup backed by Microsoft, has collapsed into insolvency after revelations that its flagship no-code development platform was powered not by artificial intelligence—but by 700 human engineers in India. The company marketed its platform as being driven by an AI assistant named “Natasha,” which could supposedly assemble […]

Published

on


Business Today – Builder.ai, once touted as a revolutionary AI startup backed by Microsoft, has collapsed into insolvency after revelations that its flagship no-code development platform was powered not by artificial intelligence—but by 700 human engineers in India.

The company marketed its platform as being driven by an AI assistant named “Natasha,” which could supposedly assemble software applications like Lego bricks. But recent reports and commentary have revealed that behind the scenes, customer requests were manually fulfilled by developers, not machines.

Commenting on the unraveling, Ebern Finance founder Bernhard Engelbrecht described it in a widely circulated post on X: “Customer requests were sent to the Indian office, where 700 Indians wrote code instead of AI,” adding that the end products were often buggy, dysfunctional, and difficult to maintain. “Everything was like real artificial intelligence — except that none of it was.”

India has gotta get their shit together. They’ve been willingly letting themselves get beyond fleeced by the rest of the world (especially America) for decades. Probably centuries. I know there was a time where India had the most robust economy in the world, but somewhere along the line they just bent over and started taking it from the rest of us. I’m sure there’s a million examples of this, but my fiancee works for one of the major insurance companies. It’s an IT-adjacent job. She makes as much money as I do. Nothing crazy, but a solid salary for a 30+ year old American. But about half of the people she works with on a daily basis, people she relies on heavily to complete her job, are working from India. According to her, they’re pretty much as valuable as she is to the company (or maybe slightly less). They put as much time and effort into the job as she does. And I swear to God these guys are making something like $8,500 a year. Just preposterously low wages. I know the USD goes further in India. And I know there are WAY more people over there, so it’s a simple case of supply and demand. But God damn it India. Have some pride. Like, you can’t even get $20k a year for your people working full time jobs for hundred billion dollar corporations? These are people with valuable IT & programming skills who could legitimately make 10x that in the United States. When you look into what some people living in India who work for US companies are actually earning (not to mention the lengths they’ll go to commute-wise to even get to their office), it doesn’t even seem real. 

And the fact that there’s enough money in AI that it’s able to sustain a business comprised of 700 Indian dudes sitting in a call center for 8 years… It’s wild, it’s hilarious, it’s kinda sad, it’s so many things. BuilderAI managed to raise $445M from investors to back their company. Imagine being Sachin Dev Duggal, the found of BuilderAI who sat down to do that math and decided he could pull it off. He saw how valuable AI was. He saw how much money an AI program capable of accomplishing certain tasks was able to rake in. Then he thought to himself, “You know what? For that amount of money, I could afford 700 Indian programmers. I bet they could keep up with that workload.”

picture alliance. Getty Images.

What a legend. What a business model. Builder.AI in particular was marketed to businesses who wanted to build a software or an app without having to code it themselves. Builder.AI would do it for them. People sent their ideas to Builder.AI, and BuilderAI’s “innovative AI software” would spit them out an app. But as long as a warehouse full of Indian dudes were able to effectively get the job done, then who the hell cares how the sausage was made? 

Unfortunately the sausage tasted like shit. To the point that BuilderAI wasn’t able to keep up with costs, and had $37M seized by Viola Credit after defaulting on a $50M loan. 

Commenting on the unraveling, Ebern Finance founder Bernhard Engelbrecht described it in a widely circulated post on X: “Customer requests were sent to the Indian office, where 700 Indians wrote code instead of AI,” adding that the end products were often buggy, dysfunctional, and difficult to maintain. “Everything was like real artificial intelligence — except that none of it was.”

The downfall began when Viola Credit, a lender that extended $50 million to Builder.ai in 2023, seized $37 million after the company defaulted. That move paralyzed the startup’s ability to operate or pay employees. Additional funds held in India remain frozen due to regulatory restrictions, Bloomberg reported.

Once you can no longer pay your employees it’s game over. On top of that, they were misreporting sales. They were using pre-made templates to “create” their apps. Obviously this whole thing was probably never sustainable (unless they were able to raise enough money on the backs of 700 Indian dudes and use it to build a real AI program). Clearly whoever was investing in Builder.AI were in a large part investing in what it could be in the future, as opposed to what it actually was. But maybe there’s a world where if Builder.AI had played their cards right, they could have pulled off. Had they pulled it off, it would have been an incredible John Henry vs The Machine-esque story of mankind triumphing over technology (if John Henry was 700 dudes inside of a trench coach and working for slave wages). 

But in some ways, this is still kind of a win for mankind. There are still things AI isn’t capable of doing. And if someone is able to pull the wool over the eyes of a company like Microsoft because they’re so overeager to eliminate the human workforce entirely in favor of computers, then good for them.

But in other, more real ways, if companies are that overeager to shell out millions and millions of dollars for AI software as opposed to employing hundreds of people… that’s kinda scary. Apparently nobody even bothered to audit Builder.AI, or look into their software, or visit their offices. They just blindly jumped at the opportunity to throw money at the first company who claimed they were capable of building apps without the hassle of hiring human beings.

Maybe, if were lucky, this will be the first domino to fall in the biggest tech-scandal of our lifetimes. Where we all believed AI was taking over the world, but come to learn the likes of OpenAI, Google Gemini, Grok, etc., were just a bunch of Indians in a warehouse the whole time. Wouldn’t that be something. We all thought modern technological advancements were making it so certain tasks could be accomplished in an instant for pennies on the dollar, but in reality, it was the country of India wiling to work for $1.50/hour. We can only hope. 

Advertisement



Link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Apple is treating live sports as a vanity project

Live sports are quickly becoming some of the most important programming for streaming services. Time and time again, streamers are realizing that premier sporting events drive subscriptions like nothing else on television. Look no further than the boost Peacock got during the 2024 Paris Olympics, or its exclusive NFL Wild Card game. Or how about […]

Published

on




Link

Continue Reading

Technology

Connected Fitness Isn’t Dead, It’s Evolving, Say Top CEOs

C-suite leaders from Tonal, Hydrow and iFIT pushed back on doom narratives and spotlighted where connected fitness is headed next The connected fitness category may have lost its pandemic-era sizzle, but according to industry leaders, it’s far from obsolete. At the ATN Innovation Summit 2025, CEOs from Tonal, Hydrow and iFIT argued the sector is […]

Published

on


C-suite leaders from Tonal, Hydrow and iFIT pushed back on doom narratives and spotlighted where connected fitness is headed next

The connected fitness category may have lost its pandemic-era sizzle, but according to industry leaders, it’s far from obsolete.

At the ATN Innovation Summit 2025, CEOs from Tonal, Hydrow and iFIT argued the sector is entering a more mature, sustainable phase, one focused on personalization, platform integration and smarter content delivery.

Moderated by Athletech News founder and CEO Edward Hertzman, the discussion featured Tonal CEO Darren MacDonald, Hydrow CEO John Stellato and iFIT Commercial CEO Mark Watterson, who each addressed the state of connected fitness and, more importantly, its future opportunities.

“It’s really easy to look at the boom of COVID, and obviously it’s been tough post-COVID,” Watterson said. “But connected fitness isn’t going anywhere. We live in a connected world. Everything around us is connected: our phones, our wearables, our watches…everything is connected. There’s no difference in fitness.”

While some headlines have fixated on post-COVID declines in hardware sales, panelists said that narrow framing ignores broader consumer trends. MacDonald pointed out that connected fitness has an anticipated go-forward view of 14% over the next five years, outpacing traditional gym growth. He also cited growing modalities such as mobility, strength and Pilates.

Mark Watterson at the ATN Innovation Summit
Mark Watterson (credit: Flickman Media)

“But the biggest of those (modalities) is just going to be online,” he said. “People are looking for ways to work out that fit their lives, and I think that’s just a big trend that we’re going to be seeing.”

Feedback Is the New Feature

Stellato agreed, adding that younger consumers now expect a constant feedback loop from their fitness experiences.

“The generation that’s coming up now is more savvy about this than any before,” he said. “Everything is very much consumed in a feedback mechanism that connected fitness allows.”

Watterson cited evolving consumer expectations for personalization as a key driver of connected fitness innovation, noting it’s an area where the category can flex its muscles.

“The days of chasing a green dot around the tracker are long gone,” he said. “People are demanding hyper-personalization, AI, new forms of content. How we do that with connected fitness — it’s really exciting. The future is pretty bright.”

Panelists pointed to growing demand for strength training and holistic health metrics as signs of where the market is heading.

Darren MacDonald  at the ATN Innovation Summit
Darren MacDonald (credit: Flickman Media)

“There used to be all this data around cardio,” MacDonald said. “Now, as the science becomes more clear about strength, you’re seeing improved mitochondrial health and stabilization of glucose and all of these health benefits that really come about.”

He also called out core opportunity areas, including women, the active aging and individuals using GLP-1 medications.

“The fastest growing modality for women last year was strength,” he said. “People losing weight on GLP-1s are losing muscle at a faster rate than fat—that’s a problem, (but) it represents a major opportunity for us.”

AI Implementation

To serve evolving audiences, companies are rethinking how they deliver content. AI, unsurprisingly, is playing a central role. Watterson said advancements in AI have enabled iFIT to localize its Emmy-nominated content into multiple languages for global markets.

“The challenge now is how do you serve up the right content to the customer? So I think AI is playing a big part in that,” he added.

Stellato agreed. “The biggest thing we hear from our customers is, ‘Tell me what to do,’” he said. “‘Curate this for me. You know what I want, you know what my goals are, you know where the results are going. Tell me what to do and how do I get better using it?’ I think us being able to serve it up quicker and then more seamlessly—that’s what you can do to generate value.”

John Stellato at the ATN Innovation Summit
John Stellato (credit: Flickman Media)
See Also

Personal trainer working out with client

Beyond the Four Walls

While content remains a focus, hardware and software still matter, particularly as companies work to bridge fitness and healthcare. MacDonald pointed to Tonal’s motion tracking system as a tool with clinical potential.

“We’re literally correcting form at Gigabits per second,” he said. “We think the application to that in health care is significant.”

Connected fitness is also moving beyond the home. Watterson said 72% of gym goers are looking for hybrid experiences, and roughly half of them already subscribe to digital fitness services alongside their gym memberships.

“The old guard said let’s keep them inside the four walls,” he said. “The new guard sees the real competitor isn’t another gym—it’s inactivity. Our job is to meet members wherever they want to work out: at home, in a club or on the go.”

What’s Coming Next

Looking ahead, each executive teased developments for the second half of 2025.

Watterson said iFIT will continue leaning into AI and scale its new Pilates-focused acquisition, Reform RX. Stellato said Hydrow is excited about its technology in the strength area that will come to light as the year goes on, and other upcoming innovations. Tonal’s next phase may center on deeper integration of its motion analysis capabilities and push into health care, MacDonald indicated.

As connected fitness enters its next chapter, Stellato believes the winners will be those who move with purpose.

“The companies that are in this space—the winners in the space—are going to be acting a lot more rationally, chasing responsible growth,” he said.

This article is based on a live discussion held during the ATN Innovation Summit 2025, a two-day event dedicated to the future of fitness and wellness. See here for more Innovation Summit coverage. 





Link

Continue Reading

Technology

INR 1 crore prize pool up for grabs in India’s biggest BGMI LAN event

India’s best teams are ready to compete iQOO, the high-performance smartphone brand, has announced its biggest esports tournament, iQOO Battlegrounds Series, a power-packed BGMI tournament executed by NODWIN Gaming. Backed by a whopping prize pool of INR 1 Crore, the tournament, starting July 21st, is set to bring together pros as well as community participation. […]

Published

on


India’s best teams are ready to compete

iQOO, the high-performance smartphone brand, has announced its biggest esports tournament, iQOO Battlegrounds Series, a power-packed BGMI tournament executed by NODWIN Gaming.

Backed by a whopping prize pool of INR 1 Crore, the tournament, starting July 21st, is set to bring together pros as well as community participation. iQOO has been supporting esports since its inception in 2020 and the brand is strengthening its commitment to esports with the first season of this tournament.

iQOO Battlegrounds Series format

The iQOO Battlegrounds Series is set to follow a hybrid format, with the qualifiers beginning July 21 for the top 31 teams across the country, along with the winner of the iQOO Community Cup, supporting iQOO’s commitment toward budding esports talent and providing a platform for aspiring esports athletes for a chance to compete at the top tier of competition.

The tournament will culminate in a live, grand LAN finale from August 8 to August 10, showcasing the best of high-octane BGMI action in India.

  • iQOO Battlegrounds Series will provide a platform to top esports teams across the nation to compete on the grand stage.
  • The qualifier rounds will begin from July 21, with 32 teams and the winner of the iQOO Community Cup will secure direct entry into the qualifiers.
  • The LAN Finale will see India’s top BGMI teams battle for glory from August 8 –10 in Delhi

Also Read: Jelly fights back against Cyberbullying in Esports

CEO of iQOO comments!

Nipun Marya, CEO, iQOO, said:

“At iQOO, we believe the future of gaming lies in building meaningful opportunities for the esports community. The iQOO Battlegrounds Series is not just a tournament—it’s our flagship gaming IP, designed to bring the best teams in India to the grand stage. This initiative further reinforces iQOO’s identity as a performance-driven brand rooted in innovation and technology, with esports serving as the perfect confluence of both. We’re excited to support India’s top gaming talent by providing a platform that celebrates skill, passion, and ambition. With this, we aim to elevate India’s esports ecosystem to the next level.”

iQOO mobile performance for gaming

With gaming now a key benchmark of smartphone performance, iQOO’s product lineup across the Flagship, Neo, and Z Series is designed to meet the diverse needs of performance enthusiasts at every price point.

iQOO has carved a niche for itself within the gaming community by involving esports professionals in product R&D to build devices that combine unmatched performance, speed, and reliability, which are fit for professional gaming.

Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming, added, “This collaboration is a convergence of performance-driven innovation, grassroots talent development, and world-class tournament execution. To us, the iQOO Battlegrounds Series is more than just another event; it’s a step forward in shaping a sustainable, inclusive, and high-impact esports ecosystem in India, which we always strive for. We’re proud to work alongside iQOO in building something that not only captures the competitive spirit and rising potential of Indian esports, but also provides it an impetus.”

Abhishek Aggarwal, Co-founder, Trinity Gaming, said, “The iQOO Battlegrounds Series is a statement of intent. It brings performance, creators, and competition under one banner. We’re excited to bring this to life in partnership with iQOO and NODWIN Gaming.”

With the mobile esports scene evolving rapidly, this collaboration signals a powerful shift in how tournaments are built, talent is nurtured, and fans are engaged.

FAQs

When does the iQOO Battlegrounds Series start?

The qualifiers begin on July 21, 2025.

What is the prize pool for the tournament?

The total prize pool is INR 1 Crore.

Where will the LAN finale take place?

It will be held in Delhi from August 8-10, 2025.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Gaming on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram & Whatsapp.





Link

Continue Reading

Technology

All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

Breaking down the topics most relevant to those working in this rapidly-changing segment of the sports media industry The SVG Regional Sports Production Summit visited Chicago last month bringing RSN and local sports media leaders together to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead for this rapidly evolving sector of the industry. This annual event covered […]

Published

on


Breaking down the topics most relevant to those working in this rapidly-changing segment of the sports media industry

The SVG Regional Sports Production Summit visited Chicago last month bringing RSN and local sports media leaders together to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead for this rapidly evolving sector of the industry. This annual event covered the latest developments in live-production workflows, direct-to-consumer (DTC) and authenticated streaming, alternate broadcasts, next-gen technologies, labor and crewing, league and team relationships, and more.

Now you can watch all sessions from the event now on SVG PLAY.

For the event’s full lineup, CLICK HERE.

Featured Conversations & Welcoming Remarks

Norby Williamson on a New Production Era for FanDuel Sports Network
State of the Regional Sports Industry 2025
Welcoming Remarks from Program Productions

Panel Discussions

RSNs Are Finding New Ways To Not Just Survive, but Thrive
New Kids: Teams, Streamers, and OTA Broadcasters Join the Regional Party
Altcasts at RSNs: Alternate Broadcasts Engage the Next-Gen Sports Fan
The In-Market Streaming Age Arrives: DTC, FAST, and Authenticated Apps
The Regional Logistical Puzzle: Facilities, Labor, and Operations Update

Tech Focus

Tech in Action: The Latest Innovations Impacting Regional Sports Production
Marquee Sports Network Creates High-Impact DTC Streaming Service With MediaKind

SVG PLAY is your home for all Sports Video Group live event and long-form video content. As an SVG member and sponsor, receive simple access to all SVG event panels, case studies, keynotes, and more all in one place. To visit SVG PLAYCLICK HERE.



Link

Continue Reading

Technology

‘We’re a technology company’: Oakley’s Caio Amato on designing with Meta, Prada and astronauts

It’s been a while since we heard a fashion brand call itself a tech company. Such headlines disappeared around the same time that brands’ priorities shifted away from experiments with new tech, like Web3, and back to the bottom line. But when your sights are set on going to space, technical performance is going to […]

Published

on


It’s been a while since we heard a fashion brand call itself a tech company. Such headlines disappeared around the same time that brands’ priorities shifted away from experiments with new tech, like Web3, and back to the bottom line. But when your sights are set on going to space, technical performance is going to play a significant role.

“We’re a technology company, no doubt about it,” Oakley’s global president, Caio Amato, tells Vogue Business in an interview. “Our offices are full of scientists; what we do is science wrapped in art. Technological research and development are at the foundation of everything we do.”



Link

Continue Reading

Technology

NBA’s Summer League A Hot Bed of AI, Immersive Innovation Testing

The NBA Summer League is into its final week and with it the last few days when the NBA teams get a chance to evaluate rookie and young talent and when the media operations and technology team can test out new production gear, workflows, and more. “Summer League is one of our key opportunities to […]

Published

on


The NBA Summer League is into its final week and with it the last few days when the NBA teams get a chance to evaluate rookie and young talent and when the media operations and technology team can test out new production gear, workflows, and more.

“Summer League is one of our key opportunities to really push boundaries of innovation, and we’re always thinking about how we can set ourselves up for future success alongside our partners,” says Ken DeGennaro, NBA, EVP, Media Operations and Technology. Among the highlights this year for the NBA is experimenting with multiple avenues of AI workflows that can not only consume and understand our very data enriched video feeds but also react and augment.

“All of this is still in the early stages, but being able to quickly contextualize and respond to live moments will be a true gamechanger for our content teams,” he says. “Our broadcast engineering team has been leading the charge on these initiatives, and we’re excited about the possibilities.”

Among the efforts are AI-driven event detection to audio mixing powered by EDGE Sound Research as well as intelligent camera framing through NEP Specialty Capture.

“We’re leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance both the quality and scalability of our workflows,” he adds. “These tests are helping us explore how AI can be intentionally integrated to streamline operations and elevate the production experience.”

EDGE Sound Research, for example, is working with Shure to make audio coverage of what is happening on the court more immersive and impactful.

A Shure Array microphone is being tested at the NBA Summer League.

“Leveraging cutting-edge hardware and software, we aim to bring fans closer to the game by amplifying iconic on-court sounds—like the squeak of sneakers and the swish of the net—while reducing background noise from in-venue music and horns. This initiative is designed to make every moment on the court feel more immersive, authentic and connected.”

Those tests use NBA Player Tracking Data to automatically generate a sub-mix, dynamically adjusting based on the positional data of players and other objects on the court. Another test, says DeGennaro, explores a more hands-on approach, where these audio objects are made available to a sub-mixer for manual control—allowing for greater creative input and flexibility in the mix.

With respect to on-the-court video coverage enhancements, DeGennaro credits Victor Cerejo, NBA Broadcast Strategy and Technology Support and the rest of the production team with driving the efforts.

“Spalding, the official manufacturer of our Renegade stanchions, has facilitated new camera positioning within the main column of the stanchion arm,” he explains. “We’re utilizing cameras such as the Nucleus and Proton and working closely with folks at Cosm and NEP Specialty Capture to identify solutions for this new position and evaluate all the new baseline views at our disposal.”

DeGennaro says a small square cutout in steel may not feel all that notable from the stands, but that seemingly small changes really do impact new ways of showing on-court action.

“As camera technology continues to shrink in size, the demand for access around the basket stanchion has grown significantly,” he says. “We’re now supporting a wide range of needs—from our broadcast partners and photographers to social and digital content teams. Currently for marquee events such as the NBA All Star Game and Finals, there are more than ten cameras strategically positioned above the rim, behind the glass, below the rim, and even at the base of the stanchion.”
Despite all those already existing angles he says the volume of requests continues to grow.

“We’re exploring the introduction of a new camera position that offers a fresh angle for content capture—one that enhances storytelling while maintaining the integrity of the game experience,” he explains. “I have hopes this will become standard in the near future and inspire more ideas on how we can further innovate these core on-court elements for broadcast storytelling.”

NEP Specialty Cameras is part of AI testing workflows at NBA Summer League.

In addition to technical innovation, DeGennaro says the NBA is continuing to expand how it works with our partners at ESPN to reinvest in the industry. The NBA is advancing two interconnected initiatives through its collaboration with the NBA Foundation and Program Productions. One component offers hands-on experience for a local Technical Director, who will shadow cut a few Summer League games. In parallel, a behind-the-scenes tour is being organized for Team Inc., a Bay Area-based organization whose mission is to Train, Empower, and Mentor Black and Brown youth (ages 14–24) who are historically underrepresented in the sports and data analytics industries. Team’s goal is to help these young individuals secure meaningful careers in sports or related fields. Additionally, key ESPN staff members will engage with Team Inc. participants to share insights into career opportunities across both the production and technical sides of the industry.

Thomas Kintner, Shane Smith, Alan McDonald, Kelley Nagi and the production, technical, and operations teams at ESPN are working with the NBA to find more ways to drive exposure and education around the industry for the next generation,” he says. “This includes connecting with students, speaking with them about employment opportunities and showing them around the truck.”

DeGennaro says each technology tested at the Summer League is selected because the NBA sees an opportunity to create solutions that can improve the production and/or fan experience.

“Our broadcast partners share our vision in so many ways and are trying to fill in similar gaps – that alignment is critical when it comes to driving efficiency when you consider the number of games that are played over the course of the 11 days,” he adds. “Everything we test out is intentional based on current goals and objectives that we are trying to solve for.”

And what does it take for technology to make the leap to being tested at Summer League?

“The set of criteria includes whether the technology can reasonably be implemented in a NBA game, how impactful it would be for the game presentation and our fans, and our ability to work the technology in at the Thomas & Mack Center without compromising any part of the unique in-person fan experience offered at Summer League,” adds DeGennaro. “These technologies and innovations that we test range across not just the live broadcast, but sometimes the way we play and officiate the game as well. This year, executing the basket stanchion camera across multiple vendors on both the Basketball and Technology sides is a perfect example of what we can accomplish when we work together.”

 

 



Link

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending