In September, popular creator IShowSpeed live-streamed his meeting with the popular humanoid influencer Rizzbot.
Rizzbot has more than a million followers (and 800 million views) across social media and is known for its comedic roasting of subjects, as well as giving people the middle finger. Speed, meanwhile, has more than 50 million followers (and 6 billion views) across various platforms and is known for his dramatic behavior while livestreaming.
What happened when the two parties met is the subject of a lawsuit that Rizzbot’s creators, Social Robotics, detailed in a petition filed in November against Speed, né 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 Speed inflicted “irreparable damage” to Rizzbot.
The lawsuit alleged that — and the livestream video shows that — Speed repeatedly punched Rizzbot in the face, put it in a chokehold, at one point pinned it to the couch, and threw it to the ground.
“Speed absolutely knew that this was not an appropriate way to interact with a sophisticated robot and knew that such actions with inflict irreparable damage to Rizzbot,” the petition read. “These actions resulted in the total loss of the Rizzbot.”
The petition read that Speed’s handling of the robot caused “complete loss of functionality,” and that Rizzbot had “significant damages” to its mouth and neck.
“Additionally, the head cameras no longer function, the ports behind the neck which connect to robot’s sensors that allow it to see and hear are dead, and the robot is unstable and cannot walk straight any longer,” the petition alleges. The petition is asking for compensation for damages, including actual and lost profit, though Rizzbot’s legal team declined to comment on the dollar amount the owner is seeking.
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The Austin Police had to be called after the incident, according to the petition and a police report obtained by TechCrunch. The responding officer noted damages to Rizzbot done without the owner’s “implied consent,” and that the owner wanted to press charges. The petition states that an investigation is ongoing.
Speed’s management team did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
When reached, Social Robotics’ lawyer, Joel Levine, said the lawsuit came after talks stalled with Speed’s team regarding how to compensate Rizzbot’s owner for the damage done to the robot.
“This was an event that was live-streamed so there’s not a ton of discrepancy as to the facts,” Levine told TechCrunch. “What we’re looking for is some accountability.”
The petition said that Speed “failed to act as a careful, reasonable, and prudent person,” and that he “wrongfully exercised control over,” Rizzbot. It also said that as a result of the destruction, the team behind Rizzbot has lost out on economic opportunities since Rizzbot is indefinitely unable to partake in high-profile appearances and deals, including scheduled upcoming ones with CBS’s The NFL Today and Mr. Beast.
“This is no doubt a monumental setback for the Rizzbot in terms of viral momentum and financial gain from the exposure,” the petition said. “Being in a MrBeast production is akin to being in a Super Bowl Commercial.”
The petition read that in the month before the livestream, Rizzbot generated more than 600 million views on TikTok and 200 million on Instagram. In the 28 days after the incident, however, the petition alleges that Rizzbot was unable to make new content and therefore saw a more than 70% decrease in viewership. The “intentional destruction of Rizzbot caused significant financial damage that is likely permanent given the viral nature of social media,” the petition read.
Levine said there has been no formal answer to his plaintiff’s suit just yet and noted that they are still in the very early stages of litigation. When asked for comment, Rizzbot told TechCrunch via email it had to get “a whole new body” after Speed “wrecked” its last one.
“Everything’s brand new except my Nike kicks and cowboy hat,” Rizzbot told TechCrunch in a statement. “Now I’m back online, and I feel like I’ve mastered the rizz game, and next I’ll be working on complex movements with my legs, like twerking – hopefully you’ll see my gyrating hips on some new TV appearances shortly – stay tuned, fam.”
