A Viral Reddit “Whistleblower” Story Turned Out to Be an AI Hoax

[nihalsari]

A Reddit post claiming to expose exploitation at a food delivery company went massively viral before being revealed as fake. The anonymous user alleged insider knowledge of algorithmic manipulation and wage theft, tapping into existing distrust fueled by real cases like DoorDash’s past settlement over stolen tips. The post rocketed to Reddit’s front page, drawing tens of millions of impressions after spreading to X.

Journalist Casey Newton of Platformer investigated the claims and was sent what appeared to be an UberEats badge and an 18-page internal document. Further scrutiny revealed the materials were AI-generated, exposing how convincingly fabricated evidence can now be used to mislead even experienced reporters.

[lingriiddd]

the scary part is how believable this was even after ppl started poking holes