by Dan Frey
REPLY
Adhi just posted on Instagram, from the Stanford Dish. He is BACK in Palo Alto. Which means either he’s in two places at once, or he slipped right past your PI clowns and made it all the way home across the country, and then posted a pic of himself HIKING just as a way to TAUNT US bc he KNOWS I had him followed, and he is rubbing it in my fucking FACE.
CHAPTER 22
SUBPOENA—NOVEMBER 24, 2021
By Authority of the House of Representatives
of the Congress of the United States of America
To: The Honorable Mr. Benjamin Boyce and Mr. Adhvan Chaudry
You are hereby commanded to be and appear before: The Select Committee on Existential Technological Threats to our Democracy
Of the House of Representatives of the United States, on December 1, 2021, at 9:00 AM EST, in the Chamber of the House
To TESTIFY on matters of inquiry committed to said committee; and you are not to depart without leave of said committee.
Furthermore you are required to PRODUCE AND SUBMIT all records in unredacted form related to the research, development, and production of relevant technologies.
Such materials are to be submitted to this legislative body no later than November 29, 2021.
Any refusal to adhere to stipulations of this Subpoena shall be treated as grounds for a charge of Contempt of Congress, and appropriate legal action shall be taken.
Sincerely,
Senator Greg Walden
EMAIL
From: Ben Boyce
To: Leila Keener-Boyce
Hey Princess, I just got the subpoena. I know you warned me but it still felt like a gut punch. Seems like the timing is specifically designed to fuck us here. We go into production (with an initial order of 500,000 units) on 12/1, so we can roll out and open stores on 1/1. Which means we are fully on the hook here for almost $100M.
Also, have you heard from Adhi? We can’t find him, and he’s gonna have to poke his head out of his hole to go to this hearing.
REPLY
Princess again, huh? Nice, slid that right in.
Yes the timing is obviously strategic. It’s not a good sign. They want you over a barrel here, not to accommodate you. They’re hoping that you will push back your production date.
As CLO, I need to advise you of the risk here. They absolutely could legislate restrictions on your tech before they shut down at the end of the year, which would mean your stores (and your product) are illegal the day they open.
And no, I have not heard anything from Adhi, which, it’s clear, is very much what he prefers.
REPLY
Hey Princess (yep, doubling down on that) I hear you but I don’t know if backing down is our best path. Does that just weaken our position?
We’ve been seeing more and more deviation from the future that we initially predicted…which, ya know, should be theoretically IMPOSSIBLE. And we still don’t even know WHY.
I’m not sure who I can trust around here anymore. So I’m asking you not as my CLO but as my WIFE, the person whose judgment I respect and admire more than anyone in the world…what should I do here?
REPLY
Flattery isn’t gonna save the day. But it does get you a few points.
So I’ll be straight with you here. If this were some app or phone or, hell, ordinary consumer technology, I would say absolutely, pull the plug on the production schedule, reassess, and move forward with humility and contrition.
But it’s clear, this technology is either a total game-changer for the world, or it’s nothing at all. And it’s obvious from reading just a little bit online, people do want this technology. A bill absolutely will come up, seeking to make your device illegal. But lawmakers have to know that if they legislate against us they are gonna alienate their constituents left and right (literally).
So I would recommend moving forward with production…but that means you are going to bet everything on how your appearance goes before the committee. And honestly, the wild card in that equation, as we both know, is Adhi.
REPLY
I love you so much. I’m all in. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
EMAIL—NOVEMBER 28, 2021
From: Ben Boyce
To: Adhvan Chaudry
Hey man, hope you’re having a good Thanksgiving break. I don’t really know where you are, out hiking or still back in DC, who even knows…But I imagine you got the subpoena one way or another.
Thought this might be the right time to reach out and re-open communication. I mean, I know it hasn’t been that long, and I had figured I’d give shit more time to settle before I hit you up, but ya know…this damn subpoena came along and moved up the timeline.
On a practical level, we’re gonna be sitting down together this week in front of motherfuckin Congress, telling our story. It’s gonna be real awkward if we’re not even on speaking terms anymore.
On a personal level, I can cop to the fact that I’ve been not exactly the easiest dude to work with. I know we’ve both done things and said things we’re not proud of. I’m down to come to this in the spirit of forgiveness, and also to take responsibility for my part in all of it.
Let me know bro.
Ben
REPLY
B—
Yes, it is clear to me that we cannot remain silent forever.
I concede that I may have been a bit out of sorts when I quit.
Let us meet in the spirit of reconciliation.
How about if we get together at the Dish tomorrow night, say 11?
Beers?
Stars should be visible.
—A
REPLY
Hey man, huge relief to hear from you, and sounding like yourself once again. Yeah by all means, I would love nothing more than beers at the Dish. I’ll brush up on my constellations, haha. See ya there.
EXCERPT FROM CONGRESSIONAL HEARING—DECEMBER 1, 2021
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): So let us be clear on the sequence of events. Mr. Chaudry quit the company, very suddenly, following your first trip out to D.C. Without giving much of a reason. For a week, you didn’t hear from him. Then he popped up again, because you were going to testify before this committee…and you met with him the following evening, around Stanford.
BOYCE: Yeah, that’s right. At the Dish. It’s this big satellite dish near the campus, there’s a little hiking trail there. We used to meet up there sometimes and just hang and shoot the shit. It was freezing that night, but I figured he picked it for emotional reasons. It had meaning for us.
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): I see. And what time did you meet there?
BOYCE: Eleven o’clock. It was late, but Adhi is a night owl, and he likes being able to see the stars.
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): How would you characterize the nature of the meeting between you?
BOYCE: Well, at first…it was hard. I got there, and for a minute, neither of us knew what to say. We talked about videogames at first. Honestly, I was trying to figure out if this was even worthwhile, or if I should just bounce.
And then, Adhi apologized. Which was maybe a first ever, between us. He said he regretted leaving me out in the cold. Said he was sorry he hadn’t been a better friend. And it was like, I hadn’t realized until that moment how much I had my guard up. How tight I was wound up. And how hard I was working to be smart and ahead of the curve and not the one that was wrong.
But once he said he was sorry, it was almost like this dam broke, and it was OK for me to say I was sorry too. We talked about everything that had been so tough for so many months, and how we never had any clue what we were really signing up for. We laughed about it—about how two cocky little assholes like us could becom
e billionaires. And we got kinda philosophical about it all. He said this thing about how the universe is funny because you know it’s all chaos and physics, but when you look back it always feels like there’s some plan that’s been leading you up to the moment you’re at. It felt like we were on the same page. At the end, we hugged it out.
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): Did he give you a reason for his abrupt departure from the company?
BOYCE: He said he got invited to some secret government thing, but he couldn’t say more. Which was vague, but I could tell he didn’t wanna go further. I mean, I did ask him if he shared any of our tech with them, but he kind of dodged the question, and I could tell it wasn’t time to get into that. I said it could all be water under the bridge, if he’d just come back. I assumed he was gonna be in the office the next day. But he never showed.
EMAIL—NOVEMBER 30, 2021
From: Ben Boyce
To: Adhvan Chaudry
Hey dude thanks for meeting up last night. That was great. Seriously, I hate to admit it, but I fucking missed you.
Anyway, I was just checking in to see when you thought you’d be back in the office. I don’t wanna rush you but also you’ll be like goddamn Superman here whenever you’re feeling up for it. And if we have a chance to spend a day getting on the same page before we fly to DC that would be great.
EMAIL—NOVEMBER 30, 2021
From: Ben Boyce
To: Adhvan Chaudry
Hey bud I haven’t heard, so I wanted to make sure you’re at least OK and got home no prob. I’m sure you can understand in context how I’d be a little worried. If you’re not up for office time, it’s all good, I’d just like to talk some more before DC.
EMAIL—NOVEMBER 30, 2021
From: Ben Boyce
To: Adhvan Chaudry
OK man I need to head to the airport soon, it’s DC time. So a lot of people are worried about you now. The police have been notified and might be coming by to do what’s called a wellness check. If you’re home, just be cool, this is all pretty normal stuff.
EMAIL—DECEMBER 1, 2021
From: Ben Boyce
To: Adhvan Chaudry
A? Where are you man? You OK? Am I gonna see you there today?
EXCERPT FROM CONGRESSIONAL HEARING—DECEMBER 1, 2021
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): So, returning to the night you met with him—is there anyone besides you that knew of, or could confirm, your meeting with him at 11 PM that evening?
BOYCE: Ummmm…My wife, our CLO, Leila. She was aware of it.
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): And she saw you depart for the meeting, and return later?
BOYCE: Well…no. She, uh…I’ve been staying at an apartment that I rented, closer to the office. We’ve had some personal stuff we’re going through, and so we’re not in the same place. But I told her I was doing it.
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): Mr. Boyce, at the exact time you have said you met with Mr. Chaudry, 11 PM—Mr. Chaudry was in another location. He was at the offices of The Future. Apparently he was the only one there. He signed in, used multiple computer terminals, and gained access to, as you call it, the Prototype.
BOYCE: That’s…not possible. I was with him.
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): It appears not. While the committee was in session, I personally received video evidence and security log records, which show, very clearly, that on the night in question, Mr. Chaudry was at the offices of The Future from 11:03 PM to 12:46 AM.
BOYCE: I mean…no way. I’ll have to review that. There must be a mistake here. Who’d you get that from?
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): An anonymous source. Undoubtedly, someone at your company. Tell me, Mr. Boyce, would you have access to see this security information—to detect if Mr. Chaudry had been entering the premises and accessing computer terminals?
BOYCE: I have access, yes. But I was not aware of any of that. Meaning, I wasn’t viewing any security footage or access data that night. Like I said, I was with Adhi. At the Dish.
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): Sources have informed me that during the time we have been present in this hearing, the Palo Alto Police Department were dispatched to uphold our subpoena when Mr. Chaudry failed to appear before Congress. I have just received a report that a team of officers entered his home in Palo Alto, where they did not locate his person. But they did find signs of a struggle, including blood.
BOYCE: I genuinely…May I ask the reason for this line of questioning?
SEN. GREG WALDEN (D-OR): Yes, Senator Holmes, we seem to be deviating from the scope of this inquiry.
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): Mr. Boyce, did you say in a text message, after learning of Mr. Chaudry’s decision to leave the company, that you wanted to “bury” him?
BOYCE: I meant legally. I was angry at that time, and I was talking about suing him. With good reason, really, he was abandoning our company, out of nowhere!
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): In the event of Mr. Chaudry’s death, what happens to his shares?
BOYCE: I don’t get them, if that’s what you’re suggesting. They would be sold, and probably his mother would get rich. But it seems premature to suggest that he’s, uh…
SEN. GREG WALDEN (D-OR): Senator Holmes, this is not a criminal investigation. And any subsequent criminal investigation could be compromised by attempting to interrogate Mr. Boyce in this public setting.
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): Pardon me, Mr. Chairman, I’ll try to keep my questions relevant to the technology and the company, but the issues in play are overlapping.
Mr. Boyce, we’ve established that your co-founder was approached by a government agency about acquiring use of the technology. Did you perceive such acquisition as a threat to your company, and by extension your personal wealth?
BOYCE: Like I said, I don’t even know what had been worked out there, so…
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): You contracted a PI service of questionable legality to follow and spy on your co-founder, yet you ask us to believe that when he simply avoided a question that could completely undermine the value of your company, you took his evasion in stride and did not press him any further?
BOYCE: I mean…I trusted him. He’s my friend.
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): Death threats and spies, is that what friendship looks like to you? Perhaps in Silicon Valley, but for me and my constituents, those values are hardly—
SEN. GREG WALDEN (D-OR): Senator Holmes, I will not tolerate grandstanding at this hearing. If you do not have any further questions to ask—
BOYCE: This is insane. And what you’re insinuating here…
SEN. DAVID HOLMES (D-NY): I am not insinuating anything. I am merely pointing out the fact that your co-founder was jeopardizing the prospects of your company, which means that you would clearly stand to profit from his death. And your past conduct as CEO does not exactly inspire confidence in your innocence.
SEN. GREG WALDEN (D-OR): All right, Senator Holmes, your time is concluded, you will now yield the floor, or face Contempt charges yourself.
BOYCE: Sir, if I could just say one more—
SEN. GREG WALDEN (D-OR): You have said quite enough, Mr. Boyce, and in fact I would advise you to stop talking, for your own sake if nothing else. It appears that the police will now be taking a closer look into matters related to the fate of your co-founder, and you should retain counsel before speaking any further on the matter.
At this point, our hearing is concluded. I believe that the nature of your character, and the danger posed by your technology, have both been made clear to the members of this committee. We thank you for your time, and will take these matters into consideration as we make decisions about how this technology is to be regulated.
CHAPTER 23
ARTICLE—THEECONOMIST.CO
M—DECEMBER 12, 2021
THE END OF THE FUTURE?
In September, tech startup The Future was celebrating life as the youngest-ever unicorn—that is, the company that grew fastest to a valuation exceeding a billion dollars. They did it in eight months, eclipsing the previous 11-month record held by electric-scooter company Bird.
Today, speculation is rampant about whether The Future will even survive to the rollout of their first product and the opening of their first store.
Last week witnessed a dramatic, live-streamed congressional hearing, where co-founders Ben Boyce and Adhvan Chaudry were summoned before the House of Representatives to speak to the presumed safety of their technology. No doubt, the plan was to clear their name, reassure the public, and ensure the seated congresspeople that they too would get a cut of the coming windfall.
Instead, one disaster mounted on another. CEO Boyce was the only one of the two to show up, and he struggled to explain his own company’s technology—and the mind-bending implications of how it might change the world. His combative tone alienated his inquisitors, who regarded him increasingly as a hostile witness.
