A PointsBet employee has sued the online sports betting company over claims she was sexually harassed by her supervisor and horny male clients who dubbed her the ‘new Paige Sprianac’.

Caroline Weeks, 25, joined as a senior player development manager in January 2022 and said she was ‘consistently subjected to romantic advances comments about her physical appearance, and unwanted physical touching’ by her boss. 

Bart DiNardo, former director of loyalty at PointsBet, was ‘aggressively’ flirty, touched her ‘in a suggestive and inappropriate manor’ and sent her ‘inappropriate’ messages on Snapchat, according to the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court on September 15. 

She said she reported him to PointsBet’s chief people officer, Amanda Anderson, and claimed the company terminated his contract after she provided ‘incriminating’ text messages. 

Weeks also said she was propositioned by customers and one drunken client repeatedly tried to touch her at a company event in an Atlantic City casino. Dailymail.com has contacted PointsBet, DiNardo and Weeks for comment.

In the lawsuit, Weeks said the company took no action to stop the harassment and she quit 10 months into the job. She is seeking unspecified damages for ’emotional damages suffered’.

She alleged that DiNardo harassed her during a company outing for all the Northeast Player Development Managers in New York City.

‘Mr DiNardo, again belligerently drunk, was aggressively flirting with Ms Weeks,’ the court document stated.

‘During the evening, Mr DiNardo physically touched Ms Weeks in a suggestive and inappropriate manor, tried to hold her hand, attempted to spin her around to dance, and was hanging over her shoulder seductively.’

She added that her other supervisor deliberately sat in between her and DiNardo during dinner to ‘create a boundary’ for her.

Weeks said the other supervisor ‘apologized for Mr DiNardo’s unprofessional behavior after ending the evening early to put Mr DiNardo into a cab home’.

DiNardo ‘received no warnings or reprimands for his inappropriate and sexually harassing conduct’ at the event, according to the lawsuit. 

Weeks said he sent her ‘messages on Snapchat [that] were inappropriate and that he was propositioning her sexually’. 

She claimed he sent her other messages she did not open and which were later deleted from her inbox. 

‘Mr DiNardo continued texting saying “How bout we start with dinner” and “did I win creep of the year yet”,’ the lawsuit claimed. 

Weeks said DiNardo was let go after she reported her experience to the company’s Chief People Officer, Amanda Anderson and provided ‘incriminating’ text messages. 

‘PointsBet did terminate Mr DiNardo, as they should have; however, as her supervisor, PointsBet is strictly liable for his conduct,’ the lawsuit stated. 

‘Additionally, PointsBet knew of DiNardo’s sexually harassing behavior months prior and took no remedial actions until Ms Weeks presented them with incriminating text messages.’ 

Weeks also said she was routinely propositioned by customers and that one drunken client repeatedly tried to touch her at a company event in an Atlantic City casino.

She claimed he followed her around for almost an hour before police intervened. 

‘I broke down that evening,’ she told The New York Post. ‘I felt completely alone in that moment and my privacy was just utterly forgotten about.’

She said clients immediately began coming onto her shortly after taking the job with some asking her to take selfies.

Others would make comments including ‘You got this job because you’re hot’ and ‘So, you’re like the new Paige Spiranac’.

‘It was scary, when you’re dealing with intoxicated men who are much bigger than you and older than you,’ Weeks said. 

‘I think people who don’t understand the word “no” are dangerous people.’

The former employee claimed the wagering company did not do anything to stop the harassment. 

She alleges another customer tried to kiss her after a business dinner, in the court documents. 

He managed to get her home address and ‘sent her a dozen roses, in an unwanted and creepy attempt at a romantic gesture’, according to the lawsuit. 

Another client allegedly made a distasteful joke on the golf course and said: ‘If I get the ball in the hole, Caroline gives me a b***job.’

But she said the company were ‘completely dismissive of her complaints regarding PointsBet’s clients.’

‘PointsBet did not take measures to end the sexual harassment that Ms Weeks was forced to endure by clients and prospective clients.’

Weeks said: ‘I think you’d be a fool to think that I deserved sex harassment based on the images I share on social media.

‘It’s not OK — a real man would know that.’

Her lawyer Rachel Haskell, a partner at the Working Solutions Law Firm, added ‘You don’t surrender your rights to be free of sexual harassment,’ by posting on social media.

She told Dailymail.com: ‘The sexual harassment Ms. Weeks faced while employed at PointsBet is detailed in her federal complaint.

‘It is her hope that by coming forward about her experiences as a woman in the sports betting industry that women who work in this industry in the future will find a workplace free from sexual harassment.’ 

A spokesman for PointsBet said it had a ‘a zero-tolerance policy with regard to harassment and we take these matters very seriously’ but did not want to comment further. 

Weeks, who is from Connecticut and has almost 32,000 Instagram followers, has no problem with Spiranac – a former professional golfer with 3.9 million Instagram followers who has fronted adverts for PointsBet. 

‘With Paige, she chooses to monetize her image, her personality, and body. I get it. She has the looks and she chose to run with it,’ she said. 

‘Me, however, I have a completely different job. I wasn’t there to be a glamorized poster girl for the job, I was there to do a job and do it professionally. . . . My job was to not to get a flirt on with clients.’

Whether it’s a cheeky search for pub quiz answers or a glance at X-rated content, many us have Googled things we’re not proud of. 

But one company is on a mission to rid us of these worries once and for all, with a tool that erases your browsing history after you die.

Norway-based Opera GX claims its new feature swaps questionable activity with an array of more virtuous searches to wipe your slate clean after death. 

‘How to build a birdhouse’ and ‘local volunteering opportunities’ are among countless more sanitised URLs it can select from to replace your true online past.

‘In life, there are no saves, respawns or checkpoints – anything can happen,’ said the Product Director, Maciej Kocemba.

‘When it does, what will you be remembered for? The Lara Croft body pillow you ordered online?

‘With “Fake My History”, we’re wiping the slate clean and replacing your scandalous digital shenanigans with a totally fake version of your browsing past.’

Opera GX is web browser that’s primarily geared towards gamers, with Discord and Twitch set up in its sidebar.

The search tool can be installed on both Windows and Apple computers, with users then able to opt into ‘Fake My History’. 

This afterlife feature kickstarts after 14 consecutive days of inactivity on the browser, with searches then replaced with a fake list.

Fabricated searches are carefully selected from a set of pre-defined URLS and often relate to charity work and ‘responsible’ living. 

While the URL list is quite extensive, some may be reused if the search history is exceptionally long. 

Opera GX claims this adds to its realism, as users generally visit their favourite websites more than once. 

A spokesman told MailOnline: ‘Fake My History is an opt-in feature as we don’t want to forcibly remove the history of a person that just went on a two-week hiatus. 

‘Once you do opt in, the feature will clean your history and replace it with a rosy one after two weeks of inactivity. 

‘If you’re a little impatient, you can click on “Pretend I’m already dead”, which will immediately replace your browser history with a new, curated one.’

Albeit tongue-and-cheek, the feature comes at a time when more than a third of Britons have admitted to snooping on their partner’s devices. 

Online privacy is also at the centre of debate amid continued reports of cybercrime and scams. 

Importantly however, Fake My History stresses that its tool cannot be used to conceal crimes.

‘We have to make a distinction between browsing history and search history. Fake My History replaces your browsing, not your search history,’ the spokesperson continued. 

‘Browsing history is a list of the websites you actually visit through your browser. 

‘This information is saved locally on your device as you browse, and lives there until you decide to clear it. 

‘Some users clear it regularly, some never, and some clear it every time they close the browser. In fact, regularly clearing your browsing history is a recommended privacy and security practice across all browsers.’

Jake Moore, a cybersecurity expert at ESET, also told MailOnline that it’s crucial to think about your own online footprint.

‘Any feature that helps protect privacy in any form is a move in the right direction. People need to always consider their online footprint,’ he said.

‘However, deleting data is not as forensically sound as not having the information written in the first place as deleted data is not overwritten quickly and remains on the hard drive in just a slightly different guise.’

To try out Fake My History, you’ll first need to install Opera GX and get it up and running. 

The clock symbol in the left-hand column should then be clicked, taking you to a ‘History’ page.

Here, ‘Redeem my soul’ can be selected, which offers you the chance to ‘Activate’ Fake My History.

A small tick box will also say ‘Pretend I’m already dead’, if you want to seem holier-than-thou before kicking the bucket. 

Once activated, the fabricated URLs will roll in, replacing any previously filthy searches.   

‘To reiterate, the feature is definitely a little Easter egg for our users, a little joke about how varied and diverse our online activity is these days, but also what the time we spend online says about us,’ the spokesperson added.

One British businesswoman is living the nomadic lifestyle she always wanted, thanks to AI bots.

Remi Gutteridge, founder and CEO of social media agency RG Creatives, uses AI tools to attend meetings for her and manage her diary, which has enabled her to work from New York, Santorini and Corfu instead of the business’s central office in the UK.

Thanks to AI, her hours have come down by as many as 18 a week.

Thanks to the bots, Remi, 35, has been able to plan more globetrotting while keeping up her day job, with more Greek islands on the itinerary and the Balearics in her sights for the festive season. She spends 70 per cent of her time on the beach that’s running the agency.  

Before introducing AI tools into her business, Remi – who is originally from St Albans – says she ‘spent a whole lot more time at [her] desk in very long meetings or working [her] way through lots of admin’.

She tells MailOnline Travel: ‘Keeping on top of client and team schedules can be an entire job in itself – so I found I would work longer hours than I would’ve liked.’

She used to work about 40 to 50 hours per week – and wasn’t fulfilling her dream of seeing the world.

After introducing AI tools into the running of her company, Remi discovered that it meant she didn’t need to be ‘in the room’ for every meeting – giving her the flexibility to work from overseas.

Now she works a more manageable 32 to 35 hours a week, which sometimes involves working from co-working spaces abroad.

Remi says: ‘Using AI has really allowed me to free up time in my day so I’m able to focus on other things that are important to me. I’ve found that these days I’m able to take much longer breaks, and generally finish much earlier than I used to!’

What’s more, in the past six months, her business has gone from strength to strength. 

What role does AI play in the company? Remi explains: ‘I mainly use AI to take care of small, boring daily tasks such as managing my diary and scheduling appointments or meetings.’

These bots help with her to-do list each day. Remi says she uses ‘AI as a sort of personal assistant to figure out things like the best meeting times for catching up with [her] team or clients or generating project timelines’.

And when she instructs bots to attend virtual meetings for her ‘the system will take a recording of a meeting, feed it through the system, and then provide me with key takeaways and actions’.

She continues: ‘It means I don’t necessarily have to be in the meeting, and my team doesn’t need to spend time catching me up on what I missed so it’s great for all of us.’

AI tools respond to certain emails automatically on Remi’s behalf, while important emails will be flagged for her attention so she can ‘pick it back up’ when she returns to her desk.

Remi says this means that when she’s travelling or spending time with loved ones, she doesn’t feel the need to check her email inbox, which has made a ‘huge difference’ to her life.

In general, AI allows her to ‘spend time offline’ comfortable in the knowledge ‘that the business is still ticking along without [her]’, she reveals.

In the early days of bringing AI on board, there were a few teething problems, Remi admits, though ‘nothing drastic’.

She says: ‘When I was playing with the tools and trying to figure them out, I had a couple of stray emails that went to the wrong person or meetings which were scheduled at incorrect times, but luckily, they were mainly internal errors so there was nothing that couldn’t be fixed.’

Remi also takes steps to ensure that no serious errors are made.

She explains: ‘I make sure that any notes that are made and shared with clients are proofed, so they’re accurate and have the context they need – the tools are there to help me along, not to do my work entirely for me.’

Most of Remi’s clients are ‘intrigued’ when they hear she’s working with AI, she reveals: ‘Many of my clients know that I use AI to help make smaller day-to-day admin easier… many are already using the likes of ChatGPT in some way. The tech hasn’t replaced my staff, only made life easier and has freed up time for us.’

The clients that were ‘more sceptical’ have ‘begun to think about how they can implement AI in ways that help their day-to-day too’, she says.

Did anything surprise Remi about using AI in the workplace? She says she was taken aback by how ‘easy’ it is to work with, noting: ‘Once you get a hold of it, you’ll be keen to figure out the other ways the tech can work in your favour. ‘

Remi isn’t the only British worker using AI in the hopes of bettering their work-life balance – and business – LinkedIn reveals.

New research by the social media site finds that 76 per cent of UK workers say they are excited to use AI in their work, and 65 per cent believe it will help move their careers forward.

The research suggests that UK workers see AI as a tool that will help them focus on what they do best and be more productive. Half (51 per cent) are planning to use AI to say goodbye to boring work tasks, and 42 per cent admit they’ll use AI tools to answer the questions they’re too embarrassed to ask their colleagues.

A further 40 per cent plan to help solve conflicts by asking for advice on difficult scenarios at work.

However, the majority (66 per cent) of UK workers have been provided with no formal AI training, leaving many to figure it out for themselves. Over half (56 per cent) have already taken steps to boost their knowledge of AI through practical experience – including experimenting with Gen AI tools such as Chat GPT (22 per cent) – or reaching out to friends and colleagues for advice (16 per cent).

Despite this, many still feel that they’re falling behind. Thirty per cent of professionals think their colleagues know more about AI than they do, and over a quarter (26 per cent) have even pretended they know more about AI to appear ‘in the know’ in front of teammates, LinkedIn reveals.

The research also finds that two in five UK workers (38 per cent) predict ‘significant’ change to their jobs in the next year as a result of AI, which has led to mixed feelings. Over a third (36 per cent) admit to feeling overwhelmed by AI, and a further 38 per cent are worried they won’t be able to keep up with the AI developments sweeping through their workplace.

Employees predict interpersonal skills such as communication (48 per cent), adaptability (48 per cent) and problem-solving (46 per cent) will become even more important as AI grows in prominence.

And LinkedIn suggests that gaining an understanding of AI could be beneficial to those in the job market – its data shows that since November last year, there has been a 21-times global increase in English-language jobs mentioning new AI technologies such as Chat GPT.

Commenting on the research, LinkedIn Career Expert Charlotte Davies says: ‘Hot off the heels of the pandemic, once again professionals are adapting to another wave of change as AI becomes more prominent in the workplace. It’s understandable that getting up to speed can feel overwhelming, but it’s positive to see people embracing the shift and focusing on the many benefits AI technology can bring to their working lives, including more time to focus on the work they care about and helping with career progression.

‘It’s also clear that people are eager to learn more about AI. We’re seeing a significant increase in conversations on LinkedIn, with members already adding AI skills to their profiles, but our data also highlights the enormous value of soft skills and how important these will be for the future as we continue to navigate this new tech and the change it brings.’

To help initiate workers into the world of AI, LinkedIn is offering its most popular AI LinkedIn Learning courses for free.

• Manchester United are reportedly in advanced negotiations with a new sponsor
• US technology firm Qualcomm could be the new front-of-shirt branding
• United are looking for a new shirt sponsor after TeamViewer opted not to renew 

By Ryan Walker For Mailonline

Published: 14:34 EDT, 11 September 2023 | Updated: 14:59 EDT, 11 September 2023

The ghost kitchen company behind MrBeast Burger has vowed to fight back against the YouTube star’s recent lawsuit – calling claims they served ‘inedible’ sandwiches that hurt the internet star’s reputation ‘false’ and ‘disparaging.’

Aired in a statement Tuesday, the response from Virtual Dining Concepts comes a day after the YouTuber filed a federal suit in Manhattan claiming the firm tarnished his reputation by selling undercooked burgers and fries with his name on them.

The retort slammed the lawsuit – which offered snippets of reviews and photos from dissatisfied customers – as ‘riddled with false statements’, as well as ‘a thinly-veiled attempt to distract’ from alleged breaches in agreements between the two parties.

The Florida-based company initially partnered with MrBeast – whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson – to launch the venture back in 2020.

In the years since, it has served sandwiches to some ten million customers, the statement claims, using storefronts of other existing restaurants to cook up the food. 

Last month, Donaldson abruptly announced an end to the venture, citing ‘quality issues’ with participating kitchens. The suit filed Monday demanded Virtual Dining  cease operations immediately to halt any further damage to the star’s reputation.

‘MrBeast, by and through Beast Investments, LLC, filed a complaint in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York against affiliates Virtual Dining Concepts, LLC, Celebrity Virtual Dining, LLC and Virtual Concepts Holdings, Inc.,’ the firm’s retaliatory statement, offered exclusively to DailyMail.com Tuesday, begins.

‘The complaint is riddled with false statements and inaccuracies and is a thinly-veiled attempt to distract from Mr. Donaldson’s and Beast Investments’ breaches of the agreements between the parties.’

Among those alleged violations, brass at the Orlando company said, were ‘Mr. Donaldson’s recent false, disparaging statements regarding the MrBeast Burger brand and VDC’ aired in the Monday lawsuit.

The statement went on to claim that the suit comes as part of MrBeast-led bullying tactic to negotiate a new deal to better served his own financial interests.  

That maneuver, founders Trish Giordano and Robert and Robbie Earl wrote, was ‘to the detriment of approximately ten million happy MrBeast Burger customers, hundreds of restaurants, and ‘the thousands of employees who make MrBeast Burger products daily’.

It states:  ‘Mr. Donaldson recently attempted to negotiate a new deal to serve his own monetary interests. 

‘When VDC refused to accede to his bullying tactics to give up more of the company to him, he filed this ill-advised and meritless lawsuit seeking to undermine the MrBeast Burger brand and terminate his existing contractual obligations without cause.’

It then calls attention to what execs labeled ‘the alleged basis for Donaldson’s complaint’ – that his reputation has been ‘materially and irreparably’ harmed by the several negative reviews and complaints aired in the lawsuit, which lawyers for Donaldson wrote ‘echoed the sentiments of thousands.’

To that, the firm – whose past celebrity partnerships include Mariah Carey and Pauly D – said:  ‘In reality, Mr. Donaldson’s notoriety has grown exponentially over the life of the MrBeast Burger brand, in part because of the MrBeast Burger brand itself.’

It adds that contrary to Donaldson’s claims, ‘VDC takes quality and customer reviews very seriously’ and ‘consistently strives to improve quality and customer satisfaction’.

‘Any negative customer reviews reflect the experience and opinion of a very small minority of MrBeast Burger customers,’ New York lawyers Richard A. Edlin and Mathew S. Rosengart wrote, adding ‘VDC looks forward to being vindicated in court.’

‘In the meantime, it is business as usual for MrBeast Burger and VDC,’ the statement added of the operation’s 1,000 or so still participating restaurants across the country.

‘We had hoped Mr. Donaldson would act honorably. Instead, having elevated greed over his word and the truth, he will face the consequences in court when VDC files it claims against him.’

‘We extend our sincere appreciation to our customers, market partners, vendors and employees for all of their past, present and future support.

‘We look forward to serving many more happy customers.’

Apart from slamming Donaldson’s lawsuit, the scathing statement served to throw cold water on claims aired by the world’s most subscribed internet sensation last month, in which he said all participating MrBeast restaurants would soon cease operations immediately.

Aired in a series of now-deleted tweets, the announcement saw Donaldson tell is some 26million followers that he is ‘moving on from MrBeast Burger’ – instead choosing to concentrate on his other food-related venture, Feastables. 

At the time, Donaldson credited the major driving force behind his decision – which saw him suddenly move on from the virtual brand after a great deal fanfare throughout their three years together  – was a lack of quality control at the mostly online ventures increasing amount of participating locations.

At the time, the statement aligned with an increasing amount of negative reviews involving MrBeast Burger that had been surfacing online, in which customers paying $10 for a MrBeast-branded burger regularly complained about waning food quality.

Others – as the pandemic boom of virtual restaurants began to fade this and last year – lamented how the delivery experience had become subpar.

Donaldson’s displeasure was then laid bare this Monday, when Bloomberg was the first to report the multimillionaire was suing the company behind his branded line of burgers, demanding it be shut down due the alleged effects the dissatisfaction was having on his reputation.

The suit – which was filed in New York District Court -included snippets of reviews from customers to illustrate this dissatisfaction, in which customers blasted their meals with less-than-appetizing buzzwords such as ‘inedible’ and ‘revolting.’

A section of federal filing reads, ‘Customers have referred to the burgers as being “disgusting,” “revolting,” and “inedible.”’

Gripes from unhappy patrons included, ‘It is sad that MrBeast would put his name on this’, where another simply said they had ‘never had something so nasty.’

Other quoted criticisms included claims of ‘inaccurate marketing’, ‘big name, poor food,’ and ‘very upsetting for the high price.’

 One simply slammed the YouTuber’s sandwich as ‘the worst burger I have ever had.’

Lawyer also bolstered those claims with multiple separate exhibits that contained similar assertions and accounts from people at large.

In one, lawyers shared a Florida father of two’s email to MrBeast’s reps in January after a poor MrBeast Burger experience.

In it, the man described how he felt as though he had ‘let his children down’ by ordering from Donaldson’s service.

‘My children adore and love watching Mr Beast videos daily,’ the correspondence, sent to MrBeast and his reps in January, read. 

‘This is not a complaint or grab for attention or money back,’ the dad went on to disclaim before offering the account.

‘It’s more to make you aware of a situation that may be tarnishing your name with a product that just is being misrepresented.’

It read as follows: ‘On December 30th my son, 11 and daughter, 8 planned out an evening with their father and it consisted of introducing me to Mr Beast while eating MrBeast Burgers. 

‘Sounded like a good plan to me, so I first tried to help them with the App which continued to say it was not available in my country, the USA. After a while, I decided to just order through Mrbeastburger.com. 

‘This went fairly well but after the order was placed over I noticed that I could not tip the driver which ended up being Uber picking up the order,’ the account continued.

‘I ended up paying cash to the driver but I’m not sure how often this happens or if it was a glitch. Drivers may not want to pick up orders because of this which delays your food being delivered in a timely manner.’ 

The man went on to recall how he received the food in unbranded packaging that he was able to trace back to a nearby 7-Eleven.

‘After the order, I was given an address that I was able to trace back to a 7-11 in Winter Springs, Florida,’ his recollection read.

‘After watching and learning more about Mr. Beast, I just don’t see how a place like 7-11 should be preparing and serving $10.00 burgers and expensive fries for a figure so well known and loved by so many people.’

He added: ‘Especially when they arrive in a white plastic bag with white generic Styrofoam containers and no pickles or any condiments on the Beast Fries. 

‘With that being said,’ he went on, ‘I did not want to bring any attention to this with my kids or bring down their excitement. I just know by the look of disappointment on their faces when the food arrived and how items were missing upset them. 

‘Prior to delivery they were showing me pictures of other delivered Mr Beast food and what it looks like so this is how I knew they were sad. They quickly got over it and ate their food. 

‘I did not want to take pictures of their food or talk about it so that’s why I only took photos after we ate,’ he added. 

‘I’m not even going to get into how everything tasted, Its just the misrepresentation that I am saddened by and how it let me children down.’

Of this, attorneys for Donaldson seeking to terminate his agreement with Virtual Dining Concepts effective immediately wrote : ‘Customers do not expect their MrBeast burger to come in a 7-11 bag. 

‘That is not what anyone expects from a MrBeast-branded product.’

In another attachment, lawyers for Donaldson offered a compilation of ‘just a handful’ of the thousands of negative reviews that have been published online by MrBeast Burger consumers over the years.

An anecdote from a reviewer New York – ‘echoing the sentiments of thousands,’ as attorneys put it – stated his MrBeast Burger was ‘the absolute worst burger I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.’

That person added of their experience: ‘It was like eating spoonfuls of garlic powder. fries were soggy and ice cold. don’t waste your money.’

Others contained claims – along with photos and videos providing supposed proof – they received ‘raw’ MrBeast Burgers, while others slammed the sandwich as simply underwhelming.

Citing the mass of media – taken from videos from food reviewers and posts on social media – attorneys added that ‘there are literally thousands’ more negative reviews, articles, and comments from people who are ‘deeply disappointed’ by the product, and ‘by the fact that MrBeast would put his name’ on it.

‘Because the entire business is based on the tremendous global value of the MrBeast brand,’ the suit adds, ‘it is MrBeast himself, and not Virtual Dining Concepts, who has borne the brunt of the (justified) attacks and criticisms,’ 

It further claims that MrBeast made every effort to cause Virtual Dining Concepts to fix’ these significant quality control problems as soon as he learned of them, but they refused and/or were incapable.’

 As a result, the suit claims Virtual Dining Concepts ‘has caused material, irreparable harm to the MrBeast brand and MrBeast’s reputation,’ not only through its abject failure to address ‘significant’ quality control problems with the virtual business, but also through other material breaches of the agreements with MrBeast.’

That broken agreement, the suit states, came after Virtual Dining repeatedly denied MrBeast his valuable approval rights by posting his name, image, and brand on social media and elsewhere without first obtaining his written approval and consent.

It also said that while the business has made millions of dollars, ‘MrBeast has not received a dime.’

Donaldson has yet to publicly comment on the suit, but has been doing so through a spokesperson.

Last July, about two years into the venture, Donaldson bragged about the astonishing amount of money the burger chain has earned in the US thus far, then tapped at $100million.

The firm started with 300 locations in the US, but quickly expanded to 1000 locations across North America.

In January, the cash earnings from the operation stood at $150,000,000 in revenue. 

However, after accounting for the 30% fee paid to actual locations, as well as the cost of ingredients, packaging, shipping, storing, and other expenses, the net profit was somewhere around $30,000,000 – an amount supposed to be split between Donaldson and Virtual Dining Concepts.

The suit concludes that  due to the material, irreparable harm to MrBeast’s reputation and brand caused by Virtual Dining Concepts’ failure to uphold its end of the parties’ agreement, MrBeast has no choice but to seek…  a judicial declaration that he has the right to terminate the MrBeast Burger business.’ 

It also claims that Donaldson is entitled to unspecified damages from ‘the harm caused by Virtual Dining Concepts’ multiple material breaches of the agreements between the parties.’ 

‘Consistent with MrBeast’s philosophy, if the MrBeast Burger virtual business cannot provide the highest level of service and products to its customers, then it should not continue,’ it states.

The suit – which comes as so-called ghost kitchens exploded in popularity during the pandemic but have since seen their success slow drastically – is currently making its way through the Manhattan federal court system.

It is not clear how much the operation has made in the six months since. The case is currently ongoing.    

Bud Light released a statement Thursday after Dylan Mulvaney finally broke her silence on the controversy over her infamous partnership with the embattled beer brand. 

The 26-year-old on Instagram addressed the debacle, which has seen Anheuser-Busch lose $20million in market cap value since the advert for March Madness, and accused them of not standing by her amid the fallout from their disastrous campaign.

Speaking to her 1.8million followers earlier Thursday, Mulvaney said: ‘I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me, but they never did. I’ve been scared to leave my house.

‘For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse than not hiring a trans person at all.

Later Thursday, Anheuser Busch issued a statement that didn’t address Mulvaney by name or her claims, but stressed that they ‘remain committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community.’

‘The privacy and safety of our employees and our partners is always our top priority. As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best – brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter to our consumers,’ a spokesperson said. 

The company’s mention of employees comes two days after Anheuser-Busch denied that they had fired two of the marketing executives behind the debacle involving Mulvaney. 

The Daily Caller reported on Tuesday that the beer giant officially fired Group Vice President of Marketing Daniel Blake and Bud Light Marketing Vice President Alissa Heinerscheid, citing text messages with an unknown regional marketing leader at the company.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch said they were still both on a ‘leave of absence.’ 

Mulvaney had harsh words for what she felt was an abandonment from the brewer in her recent post. 

‘It gives customers permission to be as transphobic and as hateful as they want. There’s should be nothing controversial or divisive about working with us.

‘I have been ridiculed in public I’ve been followed and I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.’ 

It is the first time that Mulvaney has publicly spoken about Bud Light, calling them a company that she ‘loved’ in the new post.

During the video she said that trans and queer people are ‘customers too’, before adding that ‘turning a blind eye’ isn’t an option. 

She previously said she didn’t want to give her critics the ‘satisfaction’ of talking about them, but has now opened up about how the backlash affected her – as sales for the beer dropped a staggering 28.5 percent.

The influencer admitted to hiding the can – which sparked Kid Rock to shoot at several cases of the beer – and is no longer able find it. 

Mulvaney said: ‘I realized that I needed to protect this can so I hid it somewhere and I can’t find it because I hid it so well. 

‘But when I do find it, I feel like it needs to go in a museum, preferably behind bullet-proof glass.

‘One thing I will not tolerate people saying about me is that I don’t like beer because I love beer and I always have.’

She also explained that Bud Light approached her for the sponsored video, which is something that the company denied, claiming it was an external agency on their behalf. 

Her comments come after the US CEO of Anheuser-Busch was slammed for failing to answer questions over the backlash on Wednesday. 

Brendan Whitworth refused to rule out partnering Mulvaney and avoided answering how much the marketing blunder had cost Bud Light.

Speaking to CBS Mornings, Whitworth was asked if he would send Mulvaney another can, knowing the backlash that it sparked. 

But instead of giving a definitive answer, the CEO instead launched into a pre-rehearsed speech about the ‘social conversation’ that the disaster campaign caused 

Whitworth added that they ‘need to deeply understand the consumer’ and ‘appreciate’ what they want’ from the brand, as he was blasted on social media for doing a ‘dismal job’. 

He was then challenged over his refusal to answer, with Tony Dokoupil asking if the decision was a mistake – but again avoided the question. 

The beer brand saw its sales drop 28.5 percent in the week ending June 17 – one of the worst weeks since the campaign aired in April.

It’s a deeper drop from the week ending on June 10, which saw a 26.8 percent drop, according to Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ. 

The new low beats the previous worst – an almost 26 percent drop- for the week ending May 25.

It comes after claims that two Bud Light marketing executives had finally been fired over the fiasco – something which the company deny. 

VP of marketing Alissa Heinerscheid, 39, and VP for Mainstream Brands Daniel Blake, 34, both took a voluntary leave of absence following the backlash.

But sources told the Daily Caller that both had been official fired following the announcement that they would be stepping back in April.

When approached by DailyMail.com earlier this month, a friend of Heinerscheid’s said ‘she’s not supposed to talk about it, she can’t.’

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch said they were still both on a ‘leave of absence.’

Speaking just days before the controversy, Heinerscheid said she planned to update the ‘fratty’ and ‘out of touch’ branding.

Heinerscheid’s job was taken over by Todd Allen, who recently served as global vice president of Budweiser.

The marketing decision appears to be one of the worst in American history to come from an advertising backlash.

Sources told the Daily Caller that executives only claimed they were on a ‘leave of absence’ to avoid a lawsuit.

They said: ‘To my understanding, if we publicly announced the word ‘fire’ it opens up the potential for them to sue us. That’s why we said leave of absence.

‘The wholesalers would have had an absolute HAY DAY with leadership if they didn’t remove [Heinerscheid].’

‘Wholesalers were told they are both gone for good by leadership during in-person conversations,’ the source claimed. ‘They already shifted all their direct reports to new people and the head of marketing.

He added that he thought Blake was ‘actually awesome.’ ‘I think he was just caught in [the] cross fire,’ the source said. ‘But also he did hire her… so that’s a fault.’

In another blow to the brand Modelo Especial dethroned Bud Light as the top-selling beer in America after 22 years of the longtime industry leader holding the top spot.

Modelo surpassed Bud Light’s $297 million – which was a 22.8 percent fall in sales compared to the same time last year.

It is the first time since 2001 that Bud Light has not been in the top spot, dethroning its sister brand Budweiser for the ‘King of Beer’ title in 2001.

US sales of Modelo are controlled by rival Constellation Brands and do not count as part of AB InBev’s global volumes as part of an anti-trust settlement.

Facebook ‘bans’ awareness posts from women’s hygiene company for using terms period, vulva and clitoris for ‘being too sexual’

• EXCLUSIVE: The campaign was forced to remove the ads for ‘being too sexual’
• Facebook said their ad campaign was ‘targeted to people aged 18 and older’

By Chloe Louise

Updated: 07:57 EDT, 8 June 2023

A film production company was targeted by fraudsters using a voice ‘clone’ of Benedict Cumberbatch created by AI, the company revealed to DailyMail.com.

An eerily convincing Benedict Cumberbatch phoned the company to discuss a film deal, says Bob William, screenwriter and director at Peabody Films, a company based in Malaga, Spain.

The AI Cumberbatch was ‘100 percent the voice’, says Mr William, adding that the company was convinced it was the real actor at first.

When ‘Cumberbatch’ and his agent refused to meet in-person, they realized the ruse, saving themselves from losing money.

But, many others have fallen for similar scams, as AI is opening the door for new tools that bad actors can use to steal money from unsuspecting people. 

‘At first, the email seemed like a dream come true. Benedict Cumberbatch had apparently read the script for our upcoming movie and was interested in discussing a potential role,’ Mr William said.

‘As we read further, we couldn’t believe our luck. 

‘Here was one of the most talented actors of our time, reaching out to us and showing interest in our project.

‘We were shocked and disappointed to discover that we had been the victim of an AI program posing as a famous actor.’

The director says it’s an ‘example of the increasing sophistication of AI technology and its potential to deceive.’

Mr William said they were initially emailed by someone claiming to be the Avengers star’s agent, who then suggested setting up a call.

He realized it was a scam when the number he had called from seemed to have too many digits – and the fake ‘Cumberbatch’ was also very reluctant to meet in person. 

The technology to impersonate people’s voices is already here – and already being used by fraudsters.

Cybersecurity firm McAfee found that across the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Australia and India, ten percent of people have been targeted by an AI voice scam.

They show remarkable effectiveness too, with 78 percent of those reported to have been targeted losing money as a result. 

Earlier this year, Microsoft researchers demonstrated a text-to-speech AI model which can synthesize anyone’s voice from a three-second audio sample.

The model, VALL-E, can preserve the speaker’s emotional tone, and can make the person say anything — with its creators suggesting it can be used to create audio content scripted by other AI models.

The fake ‘Cumberbatch’ was 100 percent convincing, Mr William said.

‘It was the voice. No question about it,’ he continued. 

‘AI must have been the source. We thought at first it might be a voice actor playing a practical joke – but then it went on and they started asking for money. ‘

The company had several conversations with ‘Cumberbatch’, but then noticed ‘some red flags’, William says – including his reluctance to meet in person.

‘There were also some strange requests, such as asking us to pay a sign-up fee of £200,000 before even meeting us in person.’

William says he challenged the fake agent about where he had seen the script for the upcoming movie, Emma, which had not been widely circulated.

The question was not even acknowledged.

When he called the real company switchboard, he asked for James Hayes – but was told that no one of that name worked for the company.

William says he believes he was targeted because, as a small production company, they would not have the resources to check the detail.

He says he will now notify the company the alleged agent claimed to come from — Conway VanGelder, and says he is considering reporting the attack to the police.

AI-generated fake images and audio are already being widely used in business fraud, said AI and fraud expert Alexey Khitrov, Founder and President at ID R&D, speaking to DailyMail.com.

He said, ‘We’ve done a survey there with the enterprise participants. What we’ve seen is that 42 percent of them have seen the deep fakes being used in fraudulent attempts within their line of work. So it’s real, it’s there already.’

Peabody Films is an independent production company founded by iconic British film director Barney Platts-Mills, known for award-winning films including Bronco Bullfrog and Private Road.

Since Platts-Mills death in 2021, the company has produced feature films including The Way We Are, The Way We Were, slated for release in 2024.

It sounds like the stuff of science fiction – but a company in Utah has already implanted brain chips in dozens of patients.

Blackrock Neurotech, based in Salt Lake City, has the grand ambition of treating physical paralysis, blindness, deafness and depression.

The chip — known as NeuroPort Array — allow people to control robotic arms and wheelchairs, play video games and even feel sensations.

It works by using nearly 100 microneedles that attach to the brain and read electrical signals produced by someone’s thoughts. More than three dozen people have so far received it.

The device was first implanted in a human in 2004. Company leaders hope to bring it to market soon, announcing in 2021 they aimed for the next year.

Tech mogul Elon Musk has also launched similar plans with Neurolink, an implantable device he hopes can help similar groups. 

Mr Musk’s initial plans were deterred by regulators earlier this year, who rejected a bid to trial his implant in humans.

‘We are the only company with direct-brain BCI implants in humans,’ Marcus Gerhardt, Blackrock’s co-founder, told DailyMail.com.

‘Our implantable arrays have enabled people to connect directly to computers, control robotic arms and wheelchairs, play video games, even regain sensation – with just their brain signals.

Blackrock’s technology uses an implantable microchip that has 96 arrays — small needle-shaped brain chips that can read and stimulate electrical signals. 

It can be placed anywhere on the brain’s surface. Multiple devices can be placed on the same person’s brain.

After implantation, the chip detects electrical signals generated by the wearer’s thoughts.

Machine learning software decodes these signals into digital commands such as cursor movements, which can be used to control prosthetics and computer equipment.

This can help a person draw using a robotic arm, use computer programs or control a wheelchair or prosthetic limb. 

But the company is now seeking FDA approval for devices built for use outside the lab, to be used at home by people with paralysis.

Gerhardt said: ‘We are pursuing regulatory approval of the world’s first-ever BCI designed specifically for at-home use: MoveAgain.

‘This medical device aims to increase independence and mobility, and ultimately, quality of life, for people with paralysis.’

He hopes that BCIs will become as ubiquitous for paralyzed patients as pacemakers  for people with heart issues.

He continued: ‘Once home-use BCIs are available, they’ll help people build new lives that may have seemed impossible following their disability; we think we’ll see people return to work, establish greater independence, and engage with the world in powerful new ways.

‘Our long-term vision is that our implants will become as readily available to people with paralysis as pacemakers are for people with heart issues.’

The company is already developing brain-computer interfaces to restore hearing and vision.

Mr Gerhardt said: ‘As the technology continues to advance, we’ll see BCIs with indications for memory and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.’

It has been used on more than three dozen people who Blackrock, which has no relation to the asset management firm, refers to as ‘BCI pioneers’.

The device has been implanted in patients for a combined 80 years without any reports of serious adverse effects.

However, the device does have some pitfalls. The arrays on the implant slowly break down over time, causing its signal quality to degrade after around two years.

The device has typically needed to be removed after around five years, though this has varied from patient to patient, requiring another surgery to take it out and then replace it.

Nathan Copeland has had a BCI for eight years and uses his BCI to create art with a robotic arm as well as play video games.

He is even able to feed himself, recently showing off his ability to eat a Taco Bell Cheesy Gordito Crunch using a robot arm controlled by his brain. 

Mr Copeland’s art is now on display at The BCI Exhibit at AAAS in Washington DC.

Mr Gerhardt said: ‘When it comes to art, Nathan’s medium of choice is MS Paint or GIMP, but James Johnson is the most proficient BCI Photoshop user we’ve seen.

‘Before James became paralyzed, he had a small business doing photo manipulations for clients. 

‘Using his BCI, he has been able to get back to using Photoshop in the lab, and some of his artwork is on display at The BCI Exhibit, as well.’

Mr Gerhardt says that Blackrock first implanted a BCI in 2004, but initially focused on research rather than seeking publicity. 

‘As a company, we’ve also taken a much more active role in stepping out from behind the curtain and helping enthusiastic patients tell their stories,’ he said.

‘Once patients have access to these devices outside the lab, I think we’ll really see an increase in public interest.

‘The sky’s the limit for what BCIs will be able to do in the future.’

Mr Gerhardt believes that the technology could be used in the future to deal with everything from restoring lost memories to PTSD to depression.

‘For instance, with depression, BCI could show promise for modulating neural activity in the regions of the brain that are involved in mood regulation,’ he said.

‘When it comes to disorders like depression or PTSD, spatially and temporally focused electrical or magnetic stimulation of neural tissue could help disrupt or reprogram firing patterns that lead to the disorder.’

The data could also lead to new understanding of conditions such as depression – and how they are diagnosed and treated.

In the long term, BCI technology could be used to restore lost memories.

Gerhardt says, ‘Memory is a complex phenomenon, but advanced implantable BCI technologies can potentially use targeted electrical recording and stimulation of individual neurons and circuits to help restore some of the functionality associated with memory formation and retrieval. 

‘It’s possible that BCI technology could also record the patterns associated with specific memories and recreate them as needed.’