Business & Finance
Andreessen Horowitz funds startups utilizing deceptive AI and bot farms
A report by The Midas Project details how the prominent venture capital firm has invested millions in companies designed to bypass social media rules and facilitate real-time deception.
The short version
- Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has backed startups that exploit legal loopholes and platform rules, including a $1 million investment in Doublespeed and a $15 million investment in Cluely AI.
- Doublespeed operates a physical phone farm to run fake TikTok accounts that promote products via undisclosed, AI-generated marketing content.
- Cluely AI, which originally marketed tools to help users secretly cheat on exams, job interviews, and dates, has recently rebranded as an AI meeting assistant.
- None of the involved companies, including a16z, responded to requests for comment regarding these investments.
Key facts
- Andreessen Horowitz invested $1 million in October 2025 in Doublespeed, a startup operating a physical phone farm and hundreds of fake social media accounts to bypass platform detection rules.[Hacker News]
- Doublespeed's fake accounts have been used to run unlabelled AI-generated marketing campaigns targeting elderly demographics with supplement and health product promotions.[Hacker News]
- A December 2025 hacker breach of Doublespeed's backend revealed the company was operating over 1,100 phones and 400 TikTok accounts.[Hacker News]
- Andreessen Horowitz led a $15 million Series A funding round for Cluely AI in June 2025.[Hacker News]
- Cluely AI originally promoted its software as an undetectable tool to cheat on dates, exams, and job interviews, but later shifted its marketing toward being an AI meeting assistant.[Hacker News]
- Andreessen Horowitz, Doublespeed, and Cluely AI all declined or failed to respond to reporter requests for comment.[Hacker News]