3 August 6-12, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ NEVADA DUMB MONEY ANDREW TATE PROMISED $1 MILLION FOR AN AI HACKATHON. A LAWSUIT SAYS NOBODY GOT PAID. BY NATASHA YEE M ore than a year after Andrew Tate urged aspiring developers to build the next big artificial intelligence startup for a shot at more than $1 million in prize money, one contestant says the only thing the competition produced was a federal lawsuit. Anthony Mitchell, a Nevada software de- veloper, has sued Tate and several companies allegedly tied to his online education empire, The Real World (“Money making is a skill,” the site reads. “We will teach you how to mas- ter it”), accusing them of turning a splashy AI hackathon into a contest with no winners, no payouts, and no explanation. The lawsuit comes just weeks after An- drew and Tristan Tate were arrested in Mi- ami, where they remain jailed while fighting extradition to the United Kingdom on crimi- nal charges they deny. Filed in federal court in Nevada, the 219- page complaint alleges that Tate and his busi- nesses lured participants with promises of a seven-figure prize pool, detailed judging cri- teria, and a competition marketed as the “AI Hackathon.” But after the submission dead- line passed in February 2025, the lawsuit claims the contest simply...stopped. According to the complaint, organizers never announced winners, never judged sub- missions, and never distributed any of the ad- vertised prize money. Yet the hackathon website allegedly remained online for more than a year, continuing to display entrants’ projects beneath promises of more than $1 million in prizes. Mitchell says he spent roughly 200 hours building an AI-powered cryptocurrency proj- ect called “Bangchain,” polishing pitch mate- rials, and integrating Solana blockchain technology before submitting it to the contest. His project eventually appeared as the first- listed entry on the hackathon’s online show- case page — where, according to the lawsuit, it remained long after the competition ended. Rather than paying contestants, Mitchell alleges the defendants continued using par- ticipants’ work as promotional content while the contest languished. The lawsuit names Tate, New Era Learn- ing LLC, Thrifty Consulting LLC, Legendary Courses Inc., and several unidentified defen- dants allegedly connected to fundraiser.com. Mitchell accuses them of breach of contract, fraud, unjust enrichment, promissory estop- pel, and violating Nevada’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act. New Era Learning has an F rating on the Better Business Bureau for failing to respond to three complaints, which is mentioned in the lawsuit. The two reviews on the company’s profile describe frustration as users are unable to retrieve their funds, despite one being “guaranteed” to be paid out thousands of dollars in a two- week time frame. “New Era holds itself out as a Delaware LLC but may not be registered as a limited li- ability company in Delaware or in any other jurisdiction,” the site reads. (Delaware is a popular choice for business owners to start their LLCs, as unlike many states, Delaware does not require LLC members or managers to identify themselves by name or list their personal addresses in publicly available for- mation documents.) Mitchell’s attorneys argue the hackathon wasn’t a side project but an extension of Tate’s sprawling online business. The com- plaint alleges Tate, who it identifies as CEO of New Era Learning LLC, personally promoted the contest on X beginning in January 2025, encouraged followers to participate, and later publicly praised Mitchell’s project, calling it “perfect for the average crypto trader.” The complaint also alleges organizers used the Solana Foundation’s branding with- out authorization. According to the lawsuit, the foundation publicly disavowed any con- nection to the event two days before the com- petition officially launched, but organizers proceeded anyway. To support its claims, the lawsuit attempts to connect Tate’s various business entities through shared infrastructure, branding, pay- ment systems, and websites, arguing they col- lectively operated both The Real World platform and the fundraiser.com website that hosted the competition. Mitchell estimates he suffered more than $75,000 in damages after investing hundreds of hours into the project. The complaint ar- gues that figure exceeds the federal jurisdic- tional threshold once potential treble damages under Nevada law are considered. The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, restitution, treble damages where available, attorneys’ fees, and a jury trial. As of the filing of the complaint, Tate and the other defen- dants had not responded in court. Tate’s at- torney did not immediately respond to a New Times telephoned request for comment. [email protected] | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS A Nevada developer sued Andrew Tate, alleging his $1 million AI hackathon never announced winners or paid contestants despite months of promotion. Photo by Andrei Pungovschi/Getty Images ▼ MIAMI FOR PROFIT OF COURSE A MIAMI MAN IS AT THE CENTER OF FIFA’S SELLOUT SCANDAL. BY B. SCOTT MCLENDON I t’s not often the internet agrees on anything. But after FIFA floated a plan to sell $20 bil- lion in ownership stakes, soccer fans around the world have united in outrage — especially over one name reportedly being considered to buy in: Miami billionaire Joshua Kushner. The proposal has left fans baffled. FIFA is technically a nonprofit under Swiss law, yet it’s exploring a deal that would allow outside inves- tors to purchase stakes in soccer’s governing body as if it were a publicly traded company. And because all (scandalous) roads lead to Miami, of course, FIFA named billionaire resi- dent Kushner’s holding company, Thrive Eternal, as the one “expected to lead the proposed in- vestor group,” according to the organization. FIFA argues that the move would help fund soccer’s growth in underserved areas of the world. Critics argue the implementation would veer the sport toward the whims of the world’s elite and siphon power away from the working- class people who represent the overwhelming majority of soccer fans. “Football is the world’s most popular sport and an extraordinary engine of human and social de- velopment,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. “Parts of the game have turned that popularity into remarkable commercial value — and we celebrate that success and want it to con- tinue, because it lifts the whole game. “Our job is to make sure the rest of football grows with it: FIFA exists to support sustainable, inclusive development in every corner of the world.” The backlash was immediate from the rest of the soccer world, with other major organiza- tions, such as Europe’s continental soccer au- thority, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), mulling plans for European teams to boycott the 2030 FIFA World Cup if the organization goes through with the pro- posal, according to ESPN. Kushner, like his more famous older brother Jared, is a businessman and investor. While the Kushner family’s prominence began with his grandfather’s real estate empire, the family became a household name during President Donald Trump’s first term thanks to Jared (Trump’s son-in-law) and his involvement in the administration. Joshua Kushner’s main claim to fame (if you exclude his family ties and marriage to super- model Karlie Kloss) is his investment company Thrive Capital. The billion-dollar company, of which Thrive Eternal is an arm, invested about $1 billion in Sam Altman’s OpenAI. In 2020, Kushner and Kloss bought a $23.5 million home on North Bay Road, which The Wall Street Journal dubbed “Miami’s Richest Road.” About five years later, he made another sizable Miami purchase, buying a reported minority stake in the Miami Heat (a team Forbes valued at about $5.7 billion at the time). Kushner didn’t respond to a request for comment. [email protected] CRITICS ARGUE THE IMPLEMENTATION WOULD VEER THE SPORT TOWARD THE WHIMS OF THE WORLD’S ELITE.
