Google moonshot spinout SandboxAQ claims an ex-exec is attempting ‘extortion’

Los Angeles: A former SandboxAQ executive, Robert Bender, filed a lawsuit saying he was wrongly fired. The lawsuit has shocking claims against CEO Jack Hidary. Bender worked for SandboxAQ from August 2024 to July 2025. He said he raised concerns about incidents involving “sexual encounters” and misleading financial information.

SandboxAQ quickly denied these claims. The company’s lawyer called Bender a “serial liar” and said the lawsuit is just a way to extort money. They want to prove that Bender is just making false claims. This situation is not common, as many lawsuits are kept private due to agreements in Silicon Valley.

Bender’s lawsuit mentions that Hidary used company money to entertain women. He also claimed Hidary misled investors about company revenues. SandboxAQ said these claims are false and that Bender is trying to cover his own mistakes.

Bender accused the company of trying to ruin his reputation after he was fired. While the truth of the claims will be decided in court, some of them match an earlier report that said Hidary was using company jets for personal reasons. Despite the issues, SandboxAQ has raised a huge sum of money, valued at $5.75 billion.