A deep-pocketed AI startup whose clients include New York City’s MTA and the Los Angeles Metro has filed a lawsuit accusing its ex-CEO of forging documents to secretly sell his shares in the company – and then scooping up a waterfront home in Florida and a fleet of luxury sports cars.
In an added twist, the tech firm alleges that after it ousted its co-founder and former chief executive, Christopher Carson, he threatened to call former New York Mayor Eric Adams over what he claimed was wrongful termination, according to court documents.
Hayden AI – a San Francisco-based outfit valued at an estimated $464 million with backers that include buyout giant TPG, Mitsubishi and numerous venture firms – alleges that Carson sold $1.2 million worth of stock in January 2024 without the knowledge or approval of the board, according to court documents.
To pull off the alleged scheme, Carson forged board members’ signatures – grafting them from an unrelated company document to create a phony resolution that authorized the sale, according to a lawsuit filed last week in California state court in San Francisco…