This AI Chatbot Has No AI, Just Humans Typing Back
5-minute, 30-second read.
This Week:
- CEO who fired 900 people on Zoom wants back in for $1
- Most people rely on calcium - researchers studied a different protein
- Startup offered interviews for tattoos; after backlash, co-founder tattooed company logo
- This AI chatbot has no AI, just humans typing back
CEO Who Fired 900 People on Zoom Wants Back In for $1
Remember Vishal Garg, the Better.com CEO who fired about 900 people on one Zoom call in 2021? Well, the office chair has spun around. Better replaced him as CEO on August 3, and now he wants the job back.
Garg says shareholders with most of the voting power support him, he wants to remove most of the board and return as CEO.
Imagine firing 900 people through a screen, then getting removed yourself and saying, “Hold on, can we discuss this?” Funny how “effective immediately” feels different when your name is on it.
Garg is offering to work for a $1 salary until Better becomes profitable. He also plans to buy $5 million in shares and wants the company to buy back $30 million of its stock.
One dollar!
You can't even buy a sad office coffee for that.
Meanwhile, interim CEO Daniel Lewis reportedly spent his first full week in charge vacationing in the South of France.
So, Garg was planning his comeback while Lewis was taking remote work very, very seriously.
You miss one meeting and get three follow-up emails.
These men fight over an entire company while one of them is reportedly near the Mediterranean.
Most People Rely on Calcium - Researchers Studied a Different Protein
Did your family doc ever tell you calcium is good for your bones? Ours too.
Turns out… Calcium could do more harm than good.
In one of the largest bone health studies ever, women who took calcium and vitamin D every day did not see a difference in bone health risks.
Meanwhile, a recent study found that women who took THIS protein for 6 months gained 7% more bone density… Which is how much density the average person loses in SIX YEARS!
⇒ Use THIS protein if you want stronger bones.
Startup Offered Interviews for Tattoos; After Backlash, Co-Founder Tattooed Company Logo
LemonLime brought a tattoo artist to a company party in July and offered instant job interviews to people who got tattooed. Seven people got ink, although some already worked there and at least one wasn't looking for a job.
The company later said tattoos were optional, the real logo wasn't required and anyone at the party could ask for an interview. That clarification came after the internet exploded, of course.
Because “Everyone could interview” is useful information to share before people start permanently editing their bodies.
The co-founder apologized and offered to pay for removals.
Just imagine spending years building your résumé, only to discover that your strongest skill might be sitting still near a needle.
Then, on August 10, co-founder Jordan Zietz got the actual LemonLime logo tattooed on his own shoulder. He said that, as far as he knew, he was the only person with the real logo.
What a response.
People said the company felt too cult-like, so he turned himself into company merchandise.
Problem solved!
Be honest: would you tattoo your employer’s logo before receiving your first paycheck? Most of us won't even wear the free company T-shirt outside the house.
Zietz choosing the tattoo himself is also very different from a job seeker wondering whether saying no could hurt an opportunity. The needle proved he was committed, it didn't prove this was a sensible hiring idea.
This AI Chatbot Has No AI, Just Humans Typing Back
Former Google project manager Tucker Bryant built ChatTJB, a chatbot that looks like AI but has no AI model answering you.
You type a question, then Bryant or an approved volunteer reads it and types back.
“AI” stands for “average individual.”
After a $6,000 San Francisco billboard made the project popular, it received more than 100,000 questions. Over 10,000 people applied to help by August 12, but they were applicants, not 10,000 active workers.
Silicon Valley spent years teaching computers to act like people. Bryant looked at all that expensive technology and invented a coworker with a keyboard.
Bryant says ChatTJB is an art project about how easily we let AI think for us.
Fair question: have you ever asked a chatbot something you could have solved by looking outside, calling a friend or using the last working part of your brain?
Exactly.
ChatTJB’s advanced technology is a person reading your message, thinking and replying whenever they can. In other words, it works exactly like your office group chat.
The model is human, the server runs on coffee and the loading time depends on whether somebody is avoiding work.
We've finally reached the future, and the future is Dave answering your question between meetings.
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Please note that this content is for general information only and shouldn't be considered medical, financial, or professional advice. We encourage you to do your own research and consult a qualified professional before making important decisions.
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