Today, AI has become an important economic lever. Whole business can be built thanks to it and therefore fortunes as well. And as everywhere, no one is safe from falling on a crook. To tell you, even Microsoft was fooled by a company that promised mountains and wonders before the deception was revealed.
Indeed, Builder.a had omitted to specify something quite important. “Natasha” was not an AI, but 700 engineers based in India. The company's promise was to offer a virtual assistant capable of producing code to develop applications. A nice goal.
However, it was just powder in the eyes. Indeed, when we issued a request for “Natasha”, we were entitled to a written response by engineers and not generated by an AI. In short, what Builder.a It was simply a coding assistance service and not a virtual assistant.
What will happen to the company?
With regard to the information revealed by the Times of Indiathe company behind the “Natasha” AI would have filed for bankruptcy. But this is only the culmination of several years of suspicion of this company.
As early as 2019, doubts had been issued in an article in Wall Street Journalwhich did not prevent the British company from raising $ 445 million thanks to investments coming from Microsoft or even Qatar.
Afterwards, Builder.a had been accused of inflating his figures to reassure his investors and creditors. In May 2025, the company was pinned for lied to its income in the previous year. The figures presented by the company represented a sum of $ 220 million, the real amount amounted to $ 50 million.
Add to that unpaid invoices, the dismissal of around 1000 employees and the “Natasha” scandal and we have one of the most impressive fiasco linked to AI.
It remains to be seen whether this unfortunate episode will have harmful consequences in the AI sector or not.
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
