A hacker has compromised a backend system for Doublespeed, an a16z-funded startup that makes use of a telephone farm to flood social media with AI-generated TikTok accounts, and tried to have these accounts publish memes calling a16z the “antichrist,” in response to screenshots seen by 404 Media.
The hack is at the very least the second time Doublespeed has been compromised. The startup makes use of AI to create pretend influencers, generate movies, and publish feedback.
“a16z is the antichrist. sponsored by doublespeed.ai,” the meme says. It consists of pictures of a16z co-founder Marc Andreessen; a girl pole dancing; and occult image Baphomet.
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The screenshots present the meme queued up for publication in Doublespeed clients’ dashboard, seemingly to publish to their related social media accounts. A caption signifies the hacker stole another information and should tried to publish content material from a whole lot of accounts.
“47MB exfiltrated. 573 accounts postable. 413 telephones dumped. A16z portfolio safety constructed totally different,” the caption reads.
A screenshot of the meme. Picture: 404 Media.
It seems the meme was in the end not posted on Doublespeed clients’ social media accounts. One screenshot included the social media deal with of an impacted Doublespeed account; as of Monday, the meme was not accessible on that account.
Zuhair Lakhani, a co-founder of Doublespeed, advised 404 Media in an e-mail “We’re conscious of the unauthorized entry try and addressed it shortly. This concerned an older system for queuing posts that had remained in place for compatibility with current buyer workflows, and we’ve got since secured it.”
“Importantly, no unauthorized posts had been efficiently revealed, and we’ve got not seen proof that this try resulted in broader affect to clients,” he added.
404 Media first reported about Doublespeed final 12 months, after the startup raised $1 million from a16z as a part of its “Speedrun” accelerator program, “a quick‐paced, 12-week startup program that guides founders by each important stage of their development.” Doublespeed markets its use of telephone farms as a option to evade social media platforms’ insurance policies towards eradicating inauthentic conduct. Doublespeed clients get entry to a dashboard that enables them to function a number of AI-generated influencers. In the mean time Doublespeed focuses on working TikTok accounts, but additionally plans to provide clients the power to function accounts on X and Instagram.
Doublespeed was beforehand hacked in December of 2025. The info from that hack revealed at the very least 400 TikTok accounts Doublespeed operates and that at the very least 200 of these had been actively selling merchandise on TikTok, principally with out disclosing that they’re advertisements or not actual folks. A number of the merchandise promoted by these AI-generated accounts included dietary supplements, massagers, and relationship apps.
As we’ve famous final 12 months, Marc Andreessen, after whom half of Andreessen Horowitz is known as, additionally sits on Meta’s board of administrators. Meta didn’t reply to our query about considered one of its board members backing an organization that blatantly goals to violate its coverage on “genuine id illustration.”
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Joseph is an award-winning investigative journalist targeted on producing affect. His work has triggered a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} price of fines, shut down tech corporations, and rather more.
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Emanuel Maiberg is excited by little identified communities and processes that form expertise, troublemakers, and petty beefs. E mail him at emanuel@404media.co
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