The CEO of a tech company in Las Vegas said he was sent a bloody pig’s head and a threatening note in the mail.
Blake Owens, the founder and CEO of Agrippa, shared the contents of the note, in which an anonymous writer expressed anger at the company’s use of AI to help people conduct real estate deals without brokers.
The note said: “Don’t get greedy because pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered.”
Newsweek contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via email on Friday outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The incident highlights the fears and hostility some people feel toward AI because of its potential to disrupt traditional industries like real estate.
What To Know
Owens is the CEO of Agrippa, which is an AI platform that connects people looking for funding for commercial real estate projects with potential investors, without using a broker.
The CEO told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the severed pig’s head and note was mailed to a family member’s house on July 29.
The note said: “‘AI’ is not going to replace brokers. Clearly you don’t understand real estate wasn’t built by developers or investors. And it sure as hell wasn’t built by tech guys in Lululemon. It was built by brokers.”
The note, which described Owens as a “Clark Kent knockoff,” was written anonymously and was sent along with a pig’s head wrapped in plastic.
“Perhaps this person watched too much of The Godfather,” Owens told 8 News Now. “Needless to say, I still take it very seriously, but don’t feel like I’m being truly threatened. It was a message.”
Owens expressed empathy for the person who wrote the note, and said that he understood it came from a place of fear about change.
“I understand this person is probably just frustrated that business isn’t going well for them, and then they see AI replacement stories on top of that,” Owens told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“And I just so happen to be someone they can focus their frustration on.”
Agrippa facilitated the $45 million sale of a Las Vegas hotel casino in June using its AI tool to help manage bids for the property.
What People Are Saying
Agrippa CEO Blake Owens told 9 News Now: “I think a lot of people are afraid of change and what’s coming with AI, because it really is a tsunami of change that people are trying to resist. But the more you embrace it, the better you’ll do, the more skills that you’ll accumulate more value you’ll bring to the table.”
What Happens Next
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department classed the incident as a “non-threat,” according to Owens. The CEO said that he would not pursue charges if the sender was identified.
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