In September, the popular producer Dr IShowSpeed Live-streaming His meeting with the popular Human influencer Ridgebot.
Ridgebot Has over a million followers (and 800 million views) across social media and is known for humorously roasting topics as well as giving people the middle finger. Speed, meanwhile, has more than 50 million followers (and 6 billion views) is known for his dramatic behavior across various platforms and during livestreaming.
What transpired when the two parties met is the subject of a lawsuit detailed in a November petition filed by Risebot’s creator, Social Robotics, against Speed, Darren Jason Watkins Jr., his management company, Mixed Management, and another producer who was with Speed’s team that day. The petition, obtained by TechCrunch, alleges that the motion caused “irreparable harm” to Ridgebot.
The suit alleged that – and Livestream video Show that — Speed repeatedly punches Ridgebot in the face, puts him in a chokehold, at one point pins him on the couch and throws him to the ground.
“Speed knew absolutely that this was not an appropriate way to interact with a sophisticated robot and knew that such actions would cause irreparable harm to Ridgebot,” the petition reads. “This action resulted in a complete loss of RidgeBot.”
The petition states that the robot’s motion handling caused a “complete loss of functionality” and caused “significant damage” to the face and neck of the Ridgebot.
Additionally, the head cameras no longer function, the ports on the back of the neck that connect to the robot’s sensors that allow it to see and hear, and the robot is unstable and can no longer walk upright,” the petition alleged. The petition asks for damages, including actual and lost profits, though Ridgebot’s legal team declined to comment on the dollar amount the owner is seeking.
Austin police were called after the incident, according to the petition and a police report obtained by TechCrunch. The responding officer cited damage to Ridgebot without the owner’s “implied consent” and the owner wanted to press charges. It is said in the application that the investigation is going on.
Speed’s management team did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
When reached, advocates of social robotics, Joel LevinSaid the lawsuit comes after negotiations with Speed’s team stalled on how to compensate RidgeBot’s owner for the robot’s damage.
“This was an event that was live-streamed so there aren’t a ton of discrepancies in the information,” Levin told TechCrunch. “What we’re looking for is some accountability.”
The petition states that Speed ”failed to act as a careful, reasonable and prudent person” and that he “improperly exercised control,” Rijbot. It also said that as a result of the destruction, the team behind Ridgebot lost economic opportunities because Ridgebot was unable to participate in high-profile appearances and deals indefinitely, including CBS’s The NFL Today and upcoming appearances with Mr. Beast.
“This is undoubtedly a big blow to Risebot in terms of financial gain from viral momentum and exposure,” the petition said. “Being in a Mr. Beast production is like being in a Super Bowl commercial.”
The petition states that in the month prior to the livestream, Rizzbot generated more than 600 million views on TikTok and 200 million views on Instagram. Within 28 days of the incident, however, the petition alleges that Risebot was unable to produce new content and therefore saw a drop in viewership of more than 70%. The willful destruction of Risebot has resulted in significant financial loss that is likely to be permanent due to the viral nature of social media,” the petition reads.
Levin said he has no formal response to the plaintiff’s lawsuit yet and noted that they are still in the early stages of the case. When asked for comment, RidgeBot told TechCrunch via email that it had to get a “completely new body” after the Speed’s last “wasted.
“Everything is brand new except for my Nike kicks and cowboy hat,” Rijbot told TechCrunch in a statement. Now I’m back online, and I feel like I’ve mastered the ridge game, and next I’ll be working on complex movements with my legs, like twerking – hopefully you’ll see my sweaty hips in some new TV appearances soon – stay tuned, fam.