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OUR STORY

Although it has taken us more than a year to finally publish this article, as former employees of Robin AI, we felt it was important to come forward and share our experience. Our intention is not only to express the frustrations and challenges we faced during our time with the company, but also to provide a sincere warning to anyone considering employment there. By speaking openly with the help of a journalist about our difficult experience, we hope to shed light on issues that were concealed and help future employees make informed decisions. This article serves to support transparency and as a reminder that sometimes, speaking out is the first step toward change and healing.

OUR GOALS

Purpose - Shed light on CEO Richard Robinson's unethical behaviour.

Mission - Break the silence, encourage solidarity and prompt systemic change.

Advocate for Accountability - Together, we call for accountability and ethical leadership.

The Secret, Sordid Story of Robin AI:

CEO’s extramarital affair with an employee, security vulnerabilities, and toxic work culture plague UK legal tech start-up, which recently opened an office in Singapore, current and former employees say

From the outside, it seemed as if Robin AI was soaring.

The legal tech startup, which combines AI and legal expertise, closed a $26 million series B round 18 months ago, led by Singaporean investment firm Temasek, and recently opened an office in Singapore. According to former employees, it has secured marquee clients such as Bain Capital, Warburg Pincus, TPG Capital, and Davidson Kempner.

However, on the inside, the company has been reeling, according to more than a dozen current and former employees who spoke confidentially to this reporter as part of an investigation. They said that a toxic work culture, systematic deception of customers, chronic product bugs and security vulnerabilities, and the chaos created by an extramarital affair between the company’s CEO and an employee are slowly bubbling into public view.

In the midst of an AI boom, these developments threaten to embarrass the company’s investors, enrage its customers, and undermine its development strategy.

A C-Suite Affair

It was the Slack heard around the company.

An employee’s disgruntled husband gained access to the company’s messaging system. He shared that the married CEO and his wife were having an affair. The revelation became the talk of the office – and grew to a fever pitch when the CEO promoted the involved employee to a senior position. Many believed she was less qualified than other internal candidates. Ex-employees spoke about a rapid decline in morale and an exodus of key employees, who were concerned about the possibility that the company might face reputational harm or legal action.

“I felt that there was a kind of nepotism involved and that people whom I thought very highly of weren't being given opportunities because of the relationship,” said one former employee. “All of our lives were made much more difficult because of the relationship.”

According to several former employees, the incident presented a conflict of interest for the CEO and called his judgment into question. One shared, “I was shocked when Richard promoted his girlfriend into the C-Suite. Many of us asked: is dating executives the best way to rise within the company.”

Former female employees noted that the affair underscored troubling gender dynamics at work. They felt that the CEO had abused his power and undermined his moral authority as a leader.

Mass Layoffs

Adding fuel to the fire was the senior leadership's mishandling of Robin AI's staffing, which resulted in a large group of angry former employees who had experienced the chaos in the company firsthand.

A series of layoffs in the past years has created a sense of unease across the organisation. In particular, more than a dozen employees were abruptly dismissed during the summer of 2023, allegedly for failing their probation.

Some of these former employees have gathered in recent months and considered filing a class action against the company. They believe their layoffs are illegal under UK Law. Many have posted negative Glassdoor reviews and shared their frustrations on social media.

Some employees who remained at the company continue to harbour deep resentment about the layoffs, and felt that the CEO’s public statements about the importance of building an ethical company were at odds with Robin AI’s behaviour with their own team.

Declining Operations and Service Quality

The instability at the top and staff churn have had a profound impact on Robin AI’s operations and the quality of its services, according to six current and former employees.

Two former engineers at the company say that its development strategy is unfocused, with significant waste, many incomplete products, and misleading marketing instigated by the CEO himself.

“Robin AI is trusted with very sensitive documents. It was hugely embarrassing when our product did not perform as promised, or there were issues with security, and that happened way too often. This cost us strategic accounts. Word travels,” said one former employee.

He expressed frustration about the numerous promises related to the product’s security and functionality that were bogus, which created major turmoil and resentment on the development team.

“Robin AI has a great reputation, but a rotten core. The charade can only go on for so long. The truth will come out. Like many other companies in the very frothy AI space, I believe this one is headed for a major fall,” he said.