Built 'sweatshops-as-a-service.' YC deleted the evidence.
YC W25 startup that built AI-powered surveillance cameras for garment factories. YC posted a demo video showing supervisors monitoring workers as colored rectangles — green for productive, red for not. A manager calls about a low-performing worker referred to as 'Number 17' — not by name, just a number — while the AI tracked their every movement on the factory floor . The internet dubbed it 'sweatshops-as-a-service' and 'computer vision sweatshop software.' YC deleted the demo video from all social accounts after massive backlash. The founders, two Duke CS students, saw their product become a symbol of AI surveillance dystopia.
Satirical project. Not affiliated with Y Combinator. All information from public records.