Y Combinator deletes posts after a startup’s demo goes viral
Optifye demo's backlash led YC to delete it from their socials.
Y Combinator removed a controversial demo video by Optifye.ai after it went viral on social media and drew significant criticism. The demo showcased AI-powered cameras monitoring workers' productivity on assembly lines, sparking intense backlash.
The content of the demo involved Optifye's co-founders acting as factory management, critiquing a worker's performance based on the software's data. Critiques included terms such as "sweatshops-as-a-service" and "computer vision sweatshop software," highlighting ethical concerns and sparking debate.
Despite the backlash, some voices argued against the negativity, pointing out the prevalence of such technology, especially in countries like China and India. The incident underscores the contentious nature of AI surveillance technologies in workplace settings, a topic frequently rejected by the general public according to polls.