How Builder.ai’s ‘AI Assistant’ Natasha Helped Build—and Break—a $1.5B Unicorn

Inside the downfall of a unicorn built on branding, burnout, and a bot that never was

In May 2025, as Builder.ai founder Sachin Dev Duggal maintained a high profile at Dubai’s tech events, creditors seized $37 million from the company’s accounts. The LinkedIn page of what was once a $1.5 billion startup continued to advertise ‘urgently hiring’ engineers—even as bankruptcy filings mounted. This is the story of a collapse that laid bare th…