CEO of AI start-up Vizzio keeps job despite fake Cambridge doctorate

CEO of AI start-up Vizzio keeps job despite fake Cambridge doctorate
In an expose by online publication Tech in Asia, Vizzio founder and CEO Jon Lee was said to have forged his doctorate certificate from Cambridge.
PHOTO: Vizzio Technologies

SINGAPORE – Up-and-coming artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Vizzio Technologies landed in hot water after its chief executive was found to have faked his credentials.

In a Jan 16 expose by online publication Tech in Asia, Vizzio founder and CEO Jon Lee – previously known as Dennis Lee – was said to have forged his doctorate certificate from Cambridge.

Some partner firms contacted by The Straits Times said that they are reconsidering their ties with Vizzio on the back of the developments. A renowned AI scientist has also stepped down from its board.

Meanwhile, several entities whose logos are listed as clients on Vizzio’s website have clarified that they are not customers of the company – or at least not directly.

Started in 2019, the Singapore-based AI firm uses software to make 3D interactive maps of cities and digital objects. It garnered international media attention, including being listed among The Information’s 50 most promising start-ups.

During an interview with Tech In Asia on Jan 12 following investigations it had conducted, Mr Lee confessed to having lied about having a computer science doctorate from Cambridge and admitted that his doctorate certificate was forged.

Mr Lee on Jan 17 apologised for his “personal misstep” on the firm’s website, and added that the board and shareholders decided that he would continue to serve as CEO.

ST’s checks on Jan 19 found that Vizzio’s website had listed more than 20 Singapore government organisations and major companies as clients.

Read Also
University dropout forged degree to get jobs for 16 years, salaries up to $6,800
singapore
University dropout forged degree to get jobs for 16 years, salaries up to $6,800

Temasek Polytechnic (TP), SMRT, the Infocomm Media Development Authority, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Hong Kong Police were among the organisations whose logos had been removed since the scandal broke. The client list was whittled down to 17 by 9pm on Jan 22.  

The Government Technology Agency (GovTech), whose logo is still on the site, denied being a client.

Its spokesperson told ST: “While Vizzio did a demonstration of its capabilities to GovTech in 2020, GovTech did not proceed to procure any products and is not a current customer of Vizzio.”

When contacted, Mr Lee said that Vizzio had worked with GovTech under a paid proof-of-concept product demonstration. He showed ST a copy of a contract with GovTech dated April 6, 2020, over a video call.

TP should not have been included under Vizzio’s list of clients, said Mr Lee. He said the polytechnic had engaged infrastructure consultancy Surbana Jurong, which worked with Vizzio to develop a digital twin on the polytechnic’s behalf.

A spokesperson for the polytechnic said: “TP is not a direct customer of Vizzio Technologies. It is used by a TP-appointed vendor for support in the vendor’s operational work. TP will look into the matter with its commissioned vendor.”

Several entities whose logos are listed as clients on Vizzio’s website on Jan 19 have clarified that they are not customers of the company. PHOTO: Vizzio
Vizzio.ai's website on Jan 22 which show the company removed the logos of organisations previously listed as clients, including Temasek Polytechnic and SMRT. PHOTO: Vizzio

Other companies linked to Vizzio are also reassessing their ties with the firm.

These include DP Architects and Surbana Jurong, which collaborated with Vizzio under Aetos, a security firm under its group, to build digital renders of facilities for virtual surveillance.

A spokeswoman for Surbana Jurong said: “In light of the recent disclosures, we are conducting a comprehensive evaluation of our arrangements with Vizzio, while continuing to deliver high-quality solutions to our clients.”

“(We) do not condone the fraudulent misrepresentations by Vizzio’s founder Jon Lee,” she added.

Read Also
singapore
NUS students get zero marks for cheating on take-home exam

Mr Lee said Vizzio will thoroughly review the content on its website and official marketing pages. “I want to reiterate that I have contacted the majority of customers, partners, board members and investors. I have apologised to them about my judgment lapse, and I will work to rebuild whatever trust has been lost,” he added.

Following Mr Lee’s admission, Vizzio board member Lee Kai-Fu has stepped down.

Dr Lee, a Taiwanese AI scientist and the author of AI 2041: Ten Visions For Our Future, is CEO of Sinovation Ventures, which invested in Vizzio. Singtel Innov8, which invests in start-ups, is another investor.

Mr Lee’s admission adds to a history of fabricated claims. He was in 2001 dropped by software provider Elipva, where he served as its chief technology officer under the name Dennis Lee, after The Business Times revealed that he had falsely claimed to have won awards and fellowships from prestigious universities and foundations.

Elipva’s subsequent probe discovered that he had faked awards in his portfolio, such as a “rare AI award” sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and Stanford University. 

Civil and criminal lawyer Mark Yeo told ST that individuals who forge documents and fabricate their credentials could land themselves in legal trouble if their partners feel that they have been deceived. “Anyone who puts money into the company could take issue with these practices, especially if the credentials formed part of the pitch presented to them,” the director of Fortress Law Corporation added.

Forgery can apply to those who falsify a record with the intent to support any claim or title, to cause a person to enter a contract, according to Section 463 of Singapore’s Penal Code.

Vizzio chairman Abu Bakar Mohd Nor, who is a director of SMRT Corp, on Jan 16 signed off on a statement on the firm’s website that said the board will continue to back Mr Lee as CEO.

Mr Bakar, who also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Institute of Technology and the Board of Public Utilities Board, wrote: “The board is of the opinion that the technology developed by Vizzio is not dependent on the doctorate. The technology has since proven itself and has been successfully deployed in Singapore and other parts of the world.”

He added: “On the issue of Jon’s time in Elipva until 2001, the board firmly believes that no one should be sanctioned again for what happened 23 years ago when Jon Lee was a 29 year-old technopreneur... We cannot, and will not, take his life’s work away from him as he has paid his dues some 23 years ago as a young man.”

Stellar Lifestyle, which manages retail spaces in SMRT’s rail network, said it stands by Vizzio. Its president, Mr Tony Heng, told ST: “We engaged Vizzio to develop interactive 3D digital map solutions. Vizzio has superior technical solutions that meet our requirements, and we are pleased that they have delivered on their contractual obligations so far.”

In his Jan 17 statement, Mr Lee said: “I had intended to address this matter prior to the report as part of my long-term plan to transition the leadership of our company since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

He added: “Misrepresenting my academic qualifications was a grave misjudgment, and I fully acknowledge its seriousness. I want to assure all our stakeholders that this personal misstep does not have a bearing on the integrity or achievements of our company.”

He said Vizzio will implement new measures to preserve the firm’s integrity, without providing further details.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.

homepage

trending

trending
    Spurs captain Son says he is leaving the club
    'It was so gross': Man left disgusted after finding maggots in meal at Hougang restaurant
    Man allegedly spotted vaping on bus wearing military uniform was held in SAF custody
    Chinese EV brand JMEV officially launches in Singapore with the Elight sedan
    27-year-old who helps run family's hawker business opens own restaurant: 'I should maximise what I can do at this age'
    Australian man, 82, arrested for alleged March thefts at Changi Airport upon return to Singapore  
    Gossip mill: Seventeen's Mingyu in Singapore for event, Babymonster's Chiquita receives hate presumably over Thai nationality, Jeon Somi recounts long chat with ghost
    Malaysia tourism group says LTA crackdown on illegal cross-border ride services at Changi Airport 'inconveniences travellers'
    Support local: FairPrice launches farmers market with Singapore-grown produce, includes exclusive plushies and more
    Edwin Goh and Rachel Wan's wedding to be next year: 'There's still a lot of things we need to figure out'
    28 arrested, luxury cars seized during anti-vice raids
    JB car wash operators say 'unfair' after business declines amid govt clampdown over prioritising Singapore-registered cars

Singapore

Singapore
    • Tanjong Katong Road South repair works completed, to reopen in phases from Aug 2: LTA, PUB
    • Safeguards in place to deter fraudulent injury claims at workplace: MOM
    • PM Lawrence Wong to deliver National Day message on Aug 8
    • $12.8m Toto jackpot won by single ticket bought online
    • New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3
    • SGH medical team comes home after Dhaka mission to help treat burn victims from fighter jet crash
    • Part-time PHV driver who stopped suicide attempt among 38 recipients of MHA’s public spiritedness award
    • Tan Kiat How 'heartened' as vape disposal bin in Bedok half-filled in just 4 days
    • Man accused of raping woman who hired him to fix lights in her flat claims she made first move
    • 'Proud of what they've done': Jetstar Asia CEO expresses gratitude to crew on airline's final day of operations

Entertainment

Entertainment
    • E-Junkies: J-pop group Psychic Fever talk global goals and new EP
    • 'I'm happy taking the audience seat': Andrew Seow, now auxiliary police officer, reflects on past acting career
    • Blackpink's Rose has a Singapore pop-up where you can recreate APT music video and pick up merch
    • Cha Eun-woo's Memories VR concert: Become his 'girlfriend' in romantic fantasy show
    • Hulk Hogan never met grandkids before his death
    • Gary Busey pleads guilty to groping woman at horror film convention
    • Blake Lively accused of harassment and intimidation
    • Miley Cyrus has special plans for Hannah Montana's 20th anniversary
    • Hulk Hogan secretly battled blood cancer before his death
    • Justin Timberlake diagnosed with 'relentlessly debilitating' Lyme disease

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
    • I try 11 new Michelin Bib Gourmand 2025 eateries to see if they're worth the hype, here's my honest take
    • Bak kut teh ramen, laksa shakshuka and chilli crab burgers: Celebrate National Day with these exclusive SG60 meals
    • Japanese restaurant Umi Nami to shutter, in yet another F&B business closure at Holland Village
    • Uniqlo launching T-shirt collection in collab with Pokemon Trading Card Game
    • These 2 islands share the same name, with totally different vibes: Japan's Cat Island versus Chill Beach Town
    • Best seats in the house: Where to feast, toast and watch the NDP 2025 fireworks
    • How 2 Singaporeans power the NDP moment that gives us goosebumps
    • Sierra Leone chimp refuge shuts doors to tourists to protest deforestation
    • A slice of America: Corvette makes its long-awaited debut in Singapore
    • Michelin-starred restaurant Alma by Juan Amador to shutter in August, plans to reopen with new concept

Digicult

Digicult
    • Slim, sleek, but slightly too short-lived: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review
    • World's best Dota 2 teams to compete for $1m prize pool in Singapore in November
    • Sony RX1R III brings back the compact full-frame but not the Sony playbook
    • China's Premier Li proposes global AI co-operation organisation
    • 'They don't gaslight you': Why some Singaporean women like to spend on these virtual men
    • Elon Musk's Starlink network suffers rare global outage
    • Spy cockroaches and AI robots: Germany plots the future of warfare
    • 'Give a positive review': Hidden AI prompt found in academic paper by NUS researchers
    • 'Report 1 shop, another 10 appear': Hoyo Fest artists on copyright struggles
    • NTU penalises 3 students over use of AI tools; they dispute university's findings

Money

Money
    • Up 4.3%: Singapore's economy grew in Q2 despite US tariff fears
    • Should you buy a used car in Singapore? Pros, pitfalls and price comparisons
    • Why I bought 7 properties in Johor Bahru, and will still buy more
    • Trump says US will set 15% tariff on South Korean imports under new deal
    • Cathay Cineplexes operator mm2 hires debt restructuring specialist as it faces more payment demands; CEO Chang Long Jong to retire
    • 6 best travel insurance plans in Singapore (July 2025)
    • How to claim travel insurance? A comprehensive beginner's guide (2025)
    • Britain and India sign free trade pact during Modi visit
    • Long-time tech executive and Microsoft Singapore managing director Lee Hui Li dies
    • HDB launches 10,209 BTO and balance flats, as priority scheme for singles kick in

Latest

Latest
  • Ghislaine Maxwell moved to prison camp, Trump says no plea for pardon
  • How Gaza exasperation pushed 3 Israel allies towards recognising Palestinian state
  • South Korea says it has no written pact on US trade deal
  • UK ninja sword ban begins as 1,000 weapons surrendered in knife crime crackdown
  • Thailand returns some Cambodian soldiers ahead of key border talks
  • South Korea's ex-leader Yoon lay on floor of cell and refused to be questioned, prosecutors say
  • Cambodia to nominate Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize, says deputy PM
  • Putin, facing Trump deadline, signals no change in Russia's stance on Ukraine
  • Musk's X must face part of lawsuit over child pornography video

In Case You Missed It

In Case You Missed It
  • Discrimination and bias less likely than violence and insults to be viewed as unacceptable conduct between races: AsiaOne poll
  • 3-room and bigger Tampines, Toa Payoh BTO flats most popular with first-timers in July HDB launch
  • 'Count his lucky stars': Youth struck by taxi while dashing across Yio Chu Kang Road, netizens react
  • Tanjong Katong sinkhole: ItsRainingRaincoats raises $72,000 within 2 days for migrant workers who rescued woman
  • Tanjong Katong sinkhole: It should not have happened, says Grace Fu as panel convened to probe incident
  • Love scam: Man transfers $120k to online 'China girlfriend' of 2 years after sale of Ang Mo Kio flat
  • Toddler wanders out of home in Selangor, mauled by stray dogs
  • Mid-air brawl erupts on AirAsia X flight from KL to Chengdu over loud conversation
  • Robber drops gun and misfires after failed clinic robbery in JB
This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.