startup fraud is just... legal now

A critical look at the normalization of fraud and deception in startup culture, covering a founder caught faking revenue metrics on TrustMR to attract investors, Perplexity's alleged undisclosed paid influencer ring on X, and the broader issue of 'contracted ARR' manipulation. The piece argues that accelerator pressure (YC, a16z Speedrun) to hit aggressive ARR targets in short timeframes is incentivizing founders to cheat, gaslight investors, and prioritize Twitter clout over building real products.