Artisian Builds and how not to run a Company/Giveaway/Life

[jmotivator]

We here in the PC gaming forum are a small, informed group, so I'm guessing most of you are aware of the fiasco that is Artesian Builds latest PC giveaway. For those with a fuller, richer life, I'll sum up what you missed.

Artesian Builds (henceforth AB) is a boutique custom build PC company that also runs a fairly popular Twitch stream. I had really only followed the company at a distance, and mostly because of reports here and there that their custom PCs were shit, with bad build designs and configuration... generally the custom PC builds fail most often on thermals.. because some companies don't tell you that a RTX3090 probably won't work so great in that case you picked with almost zero airflow. I even heard of cases where AB decided to UNDERCLOCK PCs they built for customers to get thermals under control (essentially preemptively thermal throttling them)..

Anyway, last week AB was running a PC giveaway to AB partners, a term defined by AB to be someone who runs the AB banner ad on their Twitch stream some some extended period of time. So the CEO, on his twitch stream builds up to the "spin" for the winner and the spin lands on a Twich streamer (whose name escapes me). The CEO then goes to the streamers page, determines that she doesn't have enough followers to earn a free PC, and "spins" again... going as far as to insult the now losing streamer for her inability to support AB in a fashion he deams worthy, going as far as to admit that he was chaning the rules on the fly...

What. A. Dick.

Anyway, luckily the world is mostly madeof good people, and hell rained down on AB from all corners of the internet. Major, assumingly worthy, Twitch AB partners dropped AB, major PC and Gaming Youtubers came out in opposition to AB... and worst of all, Intel dropped their sponsorship.

I found out about the story from the three main PC Toutube channels I follow: LInus Tech Tips, Gamers Nexus and JayztwoCents. In fact, Jaystwocents went so far as to contact one of his partners and worked with them to build the streamer a new PC.

AB CEO then did an oppology video that amounted to "I can't believe people are mad at me for giving away free PCs!" ... followed by two equally horrible oppology attempts.

So, in what seems like perfect AB fashion, they notified their 40+ employees that they are all out of a job, and that AB is "restructuring".... they sent out the notice in the middle of the night over Slack Chat. Later stating that they will not be paying refunds to outstanding refund requests (don't know if that includes people who bought a PC but haven't gotten it yet).

What. A. Dick.

I think of all the coverage of this ordeal I've watch I've enjoyed Gamers Nexus Steve's take the best.. he has a very dry and usually subtle way of dismantling bad actors that I really appreciate. Here is his latest coverage:



Also Gamers Nexus CEO Steve is just a great guy. After a rather heated fight with Newegg, and a visit with their CEO, Steve decided he needed to blow off steam and decided to visit a Micro Center near the Newegg Corporate headquarters.

I won't spoil it for you, but the whole video is just a nice palate cleanser.

 

[Chomsky]

We here in the PC gaming forum are a small, informed group, so I'm guessing most of you are aware of the fiasco that is Artesian Builds latest PC giveaway. For those with a fuller, richer life, I'll sum up what you missed.

Artesian Builds (henceforth AB) is a boutique custom build PC company that also runs a fairly popular Twitch stream. I had really only followed the company at a distance, and mostly because of reports here and there that their custom PCs were shit, with bad build designs and configuration... generally the custom PC builds fail most often on thermals.. because some companies don't tell you that a RTX3090 probably won't work so great in that case you picked with almost zero airflow. I even heard of cases where AB decided to UNDERCLOCK PCs they built for customers to get thermals under control (essentially preemptively thermal throttling them)..

Anyway, last week AB was running a PC giveaway to AB partners, a term defined by AB to be someone who runs the AB banner ad on their Twitch stream some some extended period of time. So the CEO, on his twitch stream builds up to the "spin" for the winner and the spin lands on a Twich streamer (whose name escapes me). The CEO then goes to the streamers page, determines that she doesn't have enough followers to earn a free PC, and "spins" again... going as far as to insult the now losing streamer for her inability to support AB in a fashion he deams worthy, going as far as to admit that he was chaning the rules on the fly...

What. A. Dick.

Anyway, luckily the world is mostly madeof good people, and hell rained down on AB from all corners of the internet. Major, assumingly worthy, Twitch AB partners dropped AB, major PC and Gaming Youtubers came out in opposition to AB... and worst of all, Intel dropped their sponsorship.

I found out about the story from the three main PC Toutube channels I follow: LInus Tech Tips, Gamers Nexus and JayztwoCents. In fact, Jaystwocents went so far as to contact one of his partners and worked with them to build the streamer a new PC.

AB CEO then did an oppology video that amounted to "I can't believe people are mad at me for giving away free PCs!" ... followed by two equally horrible oppology attempts.

So, in what seems like perfect AB fashion, they notified their 40+ employees that they are all out of a job, and that AB is "restructuring".... they sent out the notice in the middle of the night over Slack Chat. Later stating that they will not be paying refunds to outstanding refund requests (don't know if that includes people who bought a PC but haven't gotten it yet).

What. A. Dick.

I think of all the coverage of this ordeal I've watch I've enjoyed Gamers Nexus Steve's take the best.. he has a very dry and usually subtle way of dismantling bad actors that I really appreciate. Here is his latest coverage:



Also Gamers Nexus CEO Steve is just a great guy. After a rather heated fight with Newegg, and a visit with their CEO, Steve decided he needed to blow off steam and decided to visit a Micro Center near the Newegg Corporate headquarters.

I won't spoil it for you, but the whole video is just a nice palate cleanser.

Haha! I know nothing about gaming. But absolutely love the way you phrased the bolded line! So, how nan I not give your OP a like? Even with my never having played a computer game!