tech
January 15, 2026
Google moonshot spinout SandboxAQ claims an ex-exec is attempting 'extortion'
A former SandboxAQ executive filed a wrongful termination lawsuit filled with shocking allegations. The company is fighting back, hard.
TL;DR
- Robert Bender, former chief of staff to SandboxAQ CEO Jack Hidary, filed a wrongful termination suit alleging misuse of company funds and misleading investors.
- Bender claims Hidary used company resources to solicit, transport, and entertain female companions, and that revenue figures were misrepresented to investors.
- SandboxAQ's lawyers deny all allegations, calling the lawsuit a "complete fabrication" and an "opportunistic and extortionate abuse of the judicial process."
- The lawsuit's most salacious details were redacted by the plaintiff, a move that Bender's attorneys state describes "sexual encounters and the physical condition of non-party individuals."
- SandboxAQ, an AI quantum computing startup spun out of Alphabet, has attracted investments from notable figures including Eric Schmidt, Marc Benioff, Jim Breyer, and Ray Dalio.
- The allegations in Bender's suit echo an investigative report by The Information, which also reported on Hidary's alleged use of company resources and revenue shortfalls.
- Despite the controversy, SandboxAQ raised over $450 million in a Series E funding round and has a total valuation of $5.75 billion.