Former Builder.ai CEO Sachin Dev Duggal withdrawn from tech conference amid controversy

The National

3 days ago

Sachin Dev Duggal, founder of the now-defunct artificial intelligence start-up Builder.ai, has been pulled from the speakers line-up at a technology conference in Paris.
Former employees emailed the organisers of the Raise Summit − which ended on Wednesday − with complaints over the nature of the company's demise.
In May, Mr Duggal's former company, which had offices in London, New York and Dubai, began insolvency proceedings.
An email provided to The National by Raise organisers said Mr Duggal had been invited to speak to hopefully provide an insight into how the company's fortunes turned.
But they said they received 'numerous emails", including from employees who lost their jobs, Raise said.
'However, given the security concerns and the fact that we did not have full clarity on the story, we ultimately decided not to move forward featuring him at the event.'
This is the latest in a series of incidents that have marked the fall of a company that once achieved unicorn status − receiving a valuation of more than $1 billion − and a significant investment from US technology giant Microsoft.
Some workers at the company have told The National that on legal advice, they had been told to preserve documents and other evidence that may relate to a possible criminal investigation.
Some also said they had been issued subpoenas from the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan.
In 2024, Mr Duggal briefly spoke to The National as he appeared at an event hosted by the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, which had just announced a new AI centre.
'With this centre, we're helping to unveil a portal to global commerce,' Mr Duggal said then, reflecting on why Builder.ai chose DMCC as an ecosystem partner.
'We didn't want to be a software company just surrounded by other software companies, we wanted to be surrounded by potential customers and peers.'
Yet ultimately, Builder.ai failed to meet revenue expectations.
The company had promised to make mobile app development as 'easy as buying a pizza' through the use of heavily promoted AI technology, but it struggled to create reliable products, disappointing investors such as Microsoft and sovereign wealth funds in Qatar.
To try to stabilise the situation, Mr Duggal requested more investment funds, and an emergency loan, months before he was stripped of the chief executive title.
There have been allegations of financial irregularities, while the legitimacy of the company's AI technology has also been questioned in recent months by several news outlets.
In May, Mr Duggal posted a message on LinkedIn within a Builder.ai alumni group created on the platform.
'I don't think the story is done yet, but irrespective, if I can be of any help to any of you as you make this transition in life please know I'm only a message away,' he posted in part. 'And more importantly – if I didn't listen, if I was short, if I was unreasonable – I'm sorry.'
On Builder.ai's main LinkedIn page, comments from unhappy former customers are plentiful.
'What are you doing to get all of your customers their code for completed apps they paid for?' one person wrote.
'Don't believe these fancy conferences, flying around, inviting celebrities … It's all hype and nonsense,' wrote another, referring to the various events where Mr Duggal often dispensed start-up wisdom.
A WhatsApp group created by former Builder.ai employees is full of criticisms as well, with some making allegations about not being paid for work done.