Why this Vietnamese tech star suspended his startups’ operations

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Hello reader,

Amid all the funding numbers and technology talk, let it never be forgotten that the startup and business world is a very human place.

It’s people doing things for very human reasons, whether it’s for something noble like solving an existential crisis like climate change or something very basic like getting rich and famous.

Several of these human aspects come up in today’s premium article. A legal dispute, alleged embezzlement, and questionable tech capabilities are problems surrounding this Vietnamese founder – it’s a doozy of an article. Read on to find out more.

Today we look at:

• The many dramas revolving around prominent Vietnamese tech founder Kevin Tung Nguyen
• Indian labor officials’ investigation into discriminatory hiring practices at a local Foxconn iPhone plant
• Other newsy highlights such as good and bad news from the Chinese EV scene

Premium summary

Don’t actually spill the tea

Image credit: Timmy Loen

This may or may not be surprising to you readers, but even as a writer obsessed with crafting the perfect story and presenting any angle in the most compelling way for audiences, I’m actually extremely allergic to drama in my day-to-day life.

But sometimes, drama can’t be avoided. At Tech in Asia, even when reporting on complicated affairs, we always strive to stick to the facts.

Ultimately, drama or not, I believe that founders should just focus on building the best products possible.

• The basic info: Kevin Tung Nguyen, a prominent Vietnamese tech founder, has temporarily shut down operations at his two startups, JobHopin and Skola. Nguyen is in a legal dispute with his wife over the ownership of Skola, and he is also being investigated by Vietnam’s Police Department for Economic Crimes over allegedly misappropriating funds at the edtech platform.
• The Skola part of the story: Nguyen claims that a disgruntled ex-employee “attempted unauthorized access to Skola’s bank account” in Vietnam. In response, he transferred nearly 2 billion dong (US$78,500) to his personal account “to protect the company’s assets.”
• The JobHopin part of the story: JobHopin, which aims to use AI and machine learning to automate job hunting and recruitment, faces questions over said AI capabilities. Bunny, its AI-powered matching platform, is said to be able to “scrape” applicants’ resumes on a large scale, but a former senior staffer told Tech in Asia that JobHopin employees were still manually sourcing talent via Linkedin and other platforms at the backend.

Read more: Vietnamese tech star suspends startups amid legal dispute, police probe. He denies wrongdoing

Alleged sexist hiring practices at Indian Foxconn iPhone plant

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