When a Fake Scandal Goes Viral

Sometimes the internet gets fooled, and when it does, it goes all in. Last week, a Reddit user claiming to be a food delivery app employee posted explosive allegations about fraudulent practices at a major company. The post exploded across social media, racking up more than 37 million views on X before anyone could properly verify what was actually happening.

The allegations were serious enough that executives from both DoorDash (DASH) and Uber (UBER) Eats felt compelled to go on the record. The problem? The entire thing was fabricated using AI.

Executives Rush to Clear Their Names

DoorDash CEO Tony Xu didn't mince words when addressing the viral post on X: "This is not DoorDash, and I would fire anyone who promoted or tolerated the kind of culture described in this Reddit post. There's so much wrong with this post." The company also published a blog post titled "How DoorDash is Different" to distance itself from the allegations.

Andrew Macdonald, president and chief operating officer of Uber, was equally direct. "I am responsible for @UberEats. This post is definitively not about us. I suspect it is completely made up. Don't trust everything you read on the internet," he stated.

Both executives were essentially playing corporate whack-a-mole with a now-deleted Reddit (RDDT) post that had already spread like wildfire across the internet.

AI-Generated Evidence Fools Journalist

Casey Newton, founder of Platformer, decided to investigate by contacting the supposed whistleblower directly. What he received should concern anyone who trusts documents at face value: fake internal company documents and an AI-generated Uber Eats employee badge that looked entirely legitimate.

Newton confirmed everything was fabricated, but his investigation revealed something perhaps more troubling than the hoax itself. AI tools have reached a point where they can produce convincing false evidence quickly and realistically enough to fool millions of people and even experienced journalists during initial review.

The incident serves as a reminder that in the age of generative AI, seeing shouldn't always mean believing. Even official-looking documents and employee credentials can now be manufactured in minutes, making verification more critical than ever.