AI界惊天骗局：估值15亿美元的独角兽，竟靠印度工程师手动敲代码？

2025/6/13 2:18:50

当科技新贵Builder.ai以“AI颠覆软件开发”的口号...

当科技新贵Builder.ai以“AI颠覆软件开发”的口号斩获微软4.55亿美元投资、估值飙至15亿美元时，谁也没想到这竟是一场精心策划的骗局。八年间，这家英国独角兽用印度工程师团队手动编写代码，却对外宣称其“Natasha”AI系统能“像点披萨一样简单”地生成软件。如今，随着财务造假、循环交易等黑幕被逐一揭开，Builder.ai不仅申请破产保护、裁员80%，更面临SEC调查与刑事传唤。这场从“AI先锋”到“行业笑柄”的崩塌，不仅撕碎了科技创业的光鲜面具，更暴露出AI赛道中“挂羊头卖狗肉”的普遍乱象——当资本狂热追捧概念时，谁在为谎言买单？

图源 | unsplashBuilder.ai promised to revolutionize software development with artificial intelligence – and convinced deep-pocketed investors it had. Backed by Microsoft and valued at $1.5 billion, the startup masked manual labor as machine learning until the facadecrumbled, leaving behind lawsuits, layoffs, and one of the industry"s most embarrassing collapses.Builder.ai曾承诺用人工智能颠覆软件开发——并成功说服了财力雄厚的投资者。这家获得微软支持、估值15亿美元的初创公司，将人工劳动伪装成机器学习，直至假象崩塌，留下了诉讼案、裁员，以及科技行业最尴尬的溃败之一。Builder.ai has collapsed under the weight of several deceptions, ending the rise of a British startup once heralded as a pioneer in democratizing software development. Valued at $1.5 billion in 2023 with backing from Microsoft and Qatar"s sovereign wealth fund, the company filed for bankruptcy protection this week after revelations that its "AI-powered" platform relied on hundreds of engineers in India while executives allegedly orchestrated a years-long financial deception.Builder.ai因多重骗局而轰然倒塌，终结了这家曾被誉为软件开发民主化先驱的英国初创企业的崛起神话。这家公司在2023年获得微软和卡塔尔主权财富基金投资时估值15亿美元，但在本周披露其所谓的“由AI驱动”的平台实际上依赖于印度的数百名工程师，以及高管据称涉嫌策划了多年的财务欺诈后，该公司申请了破产保护。For eight years, Builder.ai marketed its "Natasha" AI system as a fully autonomous tool that could build software "as easily as ordering pizza". However, internal documents and employee accounts reviewed by Bloomberg paint a sharply different picture. Engineers in Noida and Bangalore manually coded client projects while being instructed to mimic AI-generated responses.八年来Builder.ai宣传其“Natasha”AI系统是能“像点披萨一样简单”构建软件的完全自主工具，但彭博社查阅的内部文件和员工陈述揭示了截然不同的真相。诺伊达和班加罗尔的工程师手动编写客户项目代码，同时被要求模仿AI生成的响应。"We were told to never mention our location or use Indian English phrases," said a former Bangalore engineer.“公司禁止我们提及所在地或使用印度英语表达，” 班加罗尔前工程师透露。The team timed updates to UK business hours to maintain the illusion of automation.团队特意按英国工作时间推送更新，以维持自动化假象。The company"s downfall accelerated in April 2025 when Bloomberg exposed a round-tripping scheme with Indian social media firm VerSe Innovation. From 2021 to 2024, the two companies exchanged nearly identical invoices totaling millions of dollars for services never rendered, artificially inflating Builder.ai"s revenue by up to 300 percent. Audits later revealed 2024 revenues totaled just $55 million – a fraction of the $220 million projected to investors. VerSe co-founder Umang Bedi denied the allegations, calling them "absolutely baseless".2025年4月，彭博社曝光其与印度社交媒体公司VerSeInnovation的循环交易骗局后加速崩塌。2021至2024年间，两家公司互换数百万美元虚假发票，却从未实际提供过任何服务，将Builder.ai收入虚增达300%。审计显示其2024年实际收入仅5500万美元——仅为向投资者承诺的2.2亿美元预期收入的零头。VerSe联合创始人乌芒·贝迪否认指控，称其“毫无根据”。Microsoft"s $455 million investment in 2023, including plans to integrate Builder.ai"s technology with Azure, now stands as a cautionary tale. The partnership fell apart when creditor Viola Credit seized $37 million from Builder.ai"s accounts after uncovering inflated financials, leaving only $5 million in restricted funds. The startup also owes $85 million to Amazon and $30 million to Microsoft for cloud services.微软2023年4.55亿美元的投资，包括与Azure云平台整合计划，如今成为警示案例。债权方Viola Credit发现财务造假后没收其账户3700万美元，合作关系破裂，仅剩500万美元受限资金。该公司还欠亚马逊8500万、微软3000万美元云服务费。The US Attorney"s Office for the Southern District of New York has subpoenaed financial records and customer lists as part of a widening probe into potential securities fraud. Separately, the SEC is investigating whether Builder.ai misrepresented its technological capabilities to investors. Internal Slack messages show executives directing staff to "minimize visibility" of human labor in investor materials.纽约南区联邦检察官办公室已传唤调取财务记录和客户名单，扩大对潜在证券欺诈的调查。美国证交会正调查其是否向投资者虚假陈述技术能力。内部Slack信息显示高管要求员工在投资材料中“最小化”人工劳动痕迹。"Positioning must focus on our proprietary AI – human labor isn"t part of the story," a 2022 internal memo stated.2022年内部备忘录强调：“定位必须聚焦专有AI——人工劳动不在此列。”Founder Sachin Dev Duggal, who styled himself Chief Wizard, resigned as CEO in February 2025 amid mounting losses and relocated to Dubai. His replacement, Manpreet Ratia, disclosed that the company laid off approximately 80 percent of its global workforce – about 1,000 employees. The insolvency marks the most significant AI startup failure to occur since ChatGPT"s breakthrough debut in 2022, underscoring growing scrutiny of "AI washing" across the tech sector.自称“首席巫师”的创始人萨钦·德夫·杜加尔于2025年2月在巨额亏损中辞任CEO并迁居迪拜。继任者曼普雷特·拉蒂亚透露公司已裁员约80%（1000名员工）。这场破产是自2022年ChatGPT横空出世以来AI初创企业*惨重的失败，凸显科技行业对“AI包装”乱象日益严格的审视。内容来源：每日英语听力|双语新闻等