31 Aug A Silicon Valley Dream Collapses in Allegations of Fraud
Like so many bright, young entrepreneurs these days, Isaac Choi arrived here last year, set up shop and promised employees that he would lead them to the Silicon Valley dream.
That dream is turning out mostly to be a mirage.
This week, Mr. Choi’s company, WrkRiot, began unraveling in a highly public fashion. Its former head of marketing revealed that the start-up had been mired in internal chaos and had sometimes paid employees in cashier’s checks before delaying payment altogether. She also alleged that Mr. Choi had forged wire transfer documents to make it look as if compensation were on the way. By late Tuesday, WrkRiot had taken itself offline. The veracity of Mr. Choi’s credentials are now also in question.
While WrkRiot is not widely known, the start-up’s collapse has gripped Silicon Valley.