In early January 2026, a Reddit post claiming to be from a developer at a “major food delivery app” exploded online, racking up nearly 90,000 upvotes in just days. Posted on January 2 in subreddits like r/confession, the anonymous user u/Trowaway_whistleblow described shocking internal practices, painting a picture of ruthless exploitation. But by January 5, investigations revealed the post was likely generated by AI, with fake evidence to boot. This hoax fooled thousands, sparking outrage and quick denials from companies like DoorDash and Uber.
The post started in smaller subs but blew up in r/confession. The user claimed to be a backend engineer bound by a “massive NDA” but drunk and guilty enough to spill secrets. Key allegations included:
- “Priority Delivery” fees don’t speed up orders; they just pad company profits.
- Tips from generous customers lower the base pay for drivers, effectively subsidizing the company.
- Drivers are called “human assets” internally and ranked by a “desperation score” based on how often they accept low-pay orders.
- Regular orders are deliberately delayed to push people toward paying for priority.
- Extra fees fund lobbying against driver unions.
These claims hit hard because food delivery apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub have faced real criticism for low pay, tip issues, and gig worker treatment over the years. It felt plausible, fueling viral shares and heated discussions.
But cracks appeared fast. Companies denied it outright. DoorDash CEO Tony Xu posted on X: “This is not DoorDash, and I would fire anyone who promoted or tolerated the kind of culture described.” DoorDash even published a point-by-point rebuttal on its blog. Uber’s COO Andrew Macdonald called it a hoax, saying “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.” Uber also denied the claims, noting the fake badge mentioned “Uber Eats” oddly.
Journalists dug in. The Verge ran the 586-word post through AI detectors like Copyleaks, GPTZero, Gemini, and Claude, most flagged it as AI-generated (though a couple said human). When a reporter contacted the poster via Signal for proof, they shared an employee ID badge that AI tools identified as fake. One version even said “Uber Eats” instead of “Uber.” The user then deleted their account. Another outlet, Hard Reset, got similar fake documents before the poster vanished.
The motive? Unclear, maybe a troll, disgruntled ex-worker, or targeted smear (some evidence pointed at Uber Eats). No financial scam tied directly, but it spread misinformation and damaged trust.
This incident shows AI’s growing role in fakes. Believable text plus fabricated “proof” can go viral before checks. Real issues in gig work made it spread faster, people wanted to believe it. As AI improves, expect more hoaxes mixing truth with lies.
Food delivery apps do face legit problems like pay disputes and fees, but this post wasn’t real exposure. The original thread is still up on Reddit, but now labeled as fake in many places. Lesson: Verify viral “whistleblowers,” especially anonymous ones. In the AI era, skepticism is key.
