The Y Combinator platform together with the Optifye.ai startup got into a scandal due to an AI program that monitors employees.
The startup’s idea and video presentation caused a wave of criticism on social media. Eventually, YC removed all references to it from its official accounts, but the video went viral.
«Optifye.ai is building Al performance monitoring for Factory Workers, boosting line efficiency for manufacturing companies.», — Y Combinator wrote in a deleted post.
Optifye.ai presented software for monitoring work in offices, factories, etc. In «real-time» AI-based cameras track employees and productivity percentage even in an hour. The startup’s co-founder Kushal Mohta played the role of a garment factory manager who calls a supervisor known as #17 and scolds him for low productivity.
«Hey Number 17, what’s going on man? You’re in the red,», — the director asks the worker.
The employee replies that he has been working all day and had a hard day.
«Working all day? You haven’t hit your hourly output even once and you had 11.4% efficiency. This is really bad. Rough day? More like a rough month», — the boss argues.
The video was heavily criticized on social media. A popular account @VCBrags dubbed the product «a modern sweatshop
These are production facilities, often in the garment industry, where workers work in poor conditions with low pay and mostly in violation of labor rights.». Others have compared the startup to worker tracking systems in China.
However, Eoghan McCabe, the CEO of customer support startup Intercom, defended the employee surveillance program. He considers criticism to be pointless.
«Everyone complaining about the YC needs to stop buying products made in China and India. And get rid of your phone. Show us you really mean it», — Eoghan McCabe writes.
The idea of surveillance is not new, as it has been practiced for a long time, not only in China or India. For example, in 2022, the American company Invisible AI raised $15 million to install video surveillance systems in factories. However, conventional cameras are not as advanced as hourly statistics of employee productivity.
There have also been PC programs for remote activity monitoring for a long time, which are most familiar in the IT field. These programs can track keystrokes, mouse movements, website visits, and program usage. In particular, CleverControl allows you to monitor the screen in real time, record sound, video, take screenshots, etc. Kickidler also analyzes efficiency and automatically notifies you of work schedule violations.
Therefore, the idea of Optifye.ai is not new, but more advanced. The idea is aimed not only at viewing the desktop screen (activity on which they have already figured out how to fake) or through cameras, but at individual monitoring of hourly productivity.
After the wave of criticism, it is not known whether the product will be launched and what further steps the Combinator platform will take with the startup. YC and Optifye.ai did not comment on the scandal.
Source: TechCrunch
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