Unmasking the AI startup founder that faked his credentials

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Hi there,

When I first watched Catch me if you can in a theater in 2002, I remember being fascinated by the story of this young con artist who tried to outwit the FBI. While – at the time – the movie claimed to be based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., I found it hard to believe that it would be so easy to convince people that you were a doctor or a pilot without the experience and credentials.

Last year, when a new book revealed that Abagnale’s story itself was a hoax, I was happy to know that my hunch was right.

But recently, my conviction that it’s difficult to fake who you are was put to the test when I worked with Lokesh and Terence on the story of Vizzio’s founder and CEO, Jon Lee, who faked his Cambridge Ph.D. In our first Big Story, we uncovered that a forged University of Cambridge degree was handed over to one of Vizzio’s investors.

What was more alarming was that it wasn’t the first time that Lee had pulled the wool over people’s eyes. Over 20 years before, when working as the CTO of another startup, he had falsified his credentials while going by a different name.

Speaking of cons, the reputation of cryptocurrencies took a hit last year due to several scamming incidents. However, it seems that the demand for bitcoin among investors may be about to make a comeback.

In our second Big Story, my colleague Scott probes to see whether the recent regulatory approval by the US Securities and Exchange Commission will see investors from Southeast Asia pouring more money into bitcoin.

In AI Odyssey, Scott speaks to the chair of Hong Kong government-backed incubator Cyberport on their growth drivers in 2024.

But first, the Big Stories.

— Collin

THE BIG STORIES

1️⃣ Rising AI entrepreneur admits to faking his Cambridge Ph.D.

Image credit: Made by Tech in Asia using Midjourney

Dennis Lee, the CTO of dot-com startup Elipva who is infamous for falsifying his credentials, has resurfaced as Jon Lee, CEO of AI firm Vizzio.

AI ODYSSEY

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