Arthur AI, an innovative artificial intelligence company based in New York, had an intriguing encounter last year when they received a message from a start-up called OneOneThree. The head of technology at OneOneThree, Yan Fung, expressed interest in purchasing Arthur AI’s technology and requested a demonstration. Arthur AI agreed and scheduled a Zoom meeting with Mr. Fung.
During the meeting, a peculiar incident occurred that raised suspicions for the Arthur AI team. Mr. Fung mentioned that Karina Patel, OneOneThree’s “main engineer,” would join the call. However, when another participant logged in, the name displayed was Aparna Dhinakaran. This was recognized by an Arthur AI employee as the name of a founder from Arize AI, a competing start-up. The Arthur AI team found it strange that someone from Arize AI would be attending their meeting without a valid explanation.
The new attendee promptly left the call, claiming to have no knowledge of Ms. Dhinakaran. Upon further investigation, Arthur AI discovered that Mr. Fung was possibly an employee at Arize AI using a false identity. It appeared that OneOneThree was merely a facade created by Mr. Fung, who had a vested interest in gathering information from Arthur AI.
In the fiercely competitive world of AI, both large tech companies and start-ups are vying for customers, talent, funding, and attention. The industry has seen companies poaching engineers from universities, while some talented individuals have left established firms to launch their own AI ventures. Venture capitalists are also eager to invest in AI start-ups, leading to intense competition and high valuations.
In this landscape, AI start-ups must forge strategic partnerships, attract prominent customers, and generate significant buzz to succeed. However, some companies have been known to make lofty promises about their AI capabilities, only to fall short. According to a study by MMC, a venture capital firm based in London, 40% of classified AI start-ups in Europe did not actually utilize AI technology for their core business functions.
Unconventional tactics and cutthroat competition are not uncommon in the tech industry, especially during periods of rapid growth and investment like the dot-com boom of the late 1990s. However, using a false identity or another company’s name to pose as a customer crosses a line that most businesses are unwilling to breach.
The CEOs of Arthur AI and Arize AI declined to comment on the matter, and requests for comment from Ms. Dhinakaran and Mr. Ngo were unanswered. Both Arize AI and Arthur AI offer observability software, which helps companies monitor and troubleshoot issues with their AI models. To make an informed choice, customers would likely compare the offerings of both companies before making a decision.
Ms. Dhinakaran, along with Jason Lopatecki, co-founded Arize AI in 2020 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The start-up has secured $61 million in funding, and its impressive customer list includes Uber, eBay, and Instacart. Ms. Dhinakaran is an active figure in the AI start-up scene, speaking at industry events and contributing to Forbes as a columnist. She has a strong technical background, having worked as an ML engineer and leader at Uber, Apple, and TubeMogul.
In contrast, Mr. Ngo’s LinkedIn profile links him to the OneOneThree Project and describes him as a data scientist who previously worked at Point Predictive and Alliantgroup. He joined Arize AI in 2022. Interestingly, Mr. Ngo registered a business called OneOneThree in Delaware a year before the incident with Arthur AI, indicating a potential link to Mr. Fung’s false identity.
The incident with Arthur AI and the suspicious behavior exhibited by Mr. Fung and Mr. Ngo highlight the intense competition and the lengths some individuals are willing to go to gain an advantage in the AI industry. Despite the importance of maintaining ethical standards, there are still those who resort to deceptive tactics to achieve their goals.
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