A remark made by the head of AI at an American tech company during the recent xAI Hackathon has triggered widespread criticism on social media. The event, which brought together hundreds of developers and engineers, gained attention online after photos from the venue were posted on X.
The controversy began when an X user named "Taylor" shared a picture showing a packed hall of participants, writing, "A full audience of hardcore builders and engineers at the @xai hackathon!" In response, Nik Pash, head of AI at the San Francisco-based company Cline, commented, "Imagine the smell." The remark was instantly condemned by many online users, who accused it of carrying racist undertones. Taylor later claimed that Pash blocked him on the platform.
As criticism grew, Cline's founder and CEO, Saoud Rizwan, stepped in to defend Pash. Rizwan, who is of South Asian descent, wrote that the comment had been misunderstood. He added that Cline itself was founded at a hackathon, which, according to him, "was quite smelly," and that crowded coding events generally tend to have an unpleasant odour.
A full audience of hardcore builders and engineers at the @xai hackathon! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5ylX2C2R6c
— Taylor (@taycaldwell) December 7, 2025
Pash also reiterated that his comment had no racial intent and that packed hackathon rooms "never smell great."
hey all, i'm founder/ceo at cline and of south asian descent myself. fun story cline was started at a hackathon which in fact was quite smelly. i work with pash everyday and can confirm this tweet was taken the wrong way.
— Saoud Rizwan (@sdrzn) December 9, 2025
Despite the clarification, many users on X remained unconvinced and continued to accuse Pash's remark of being insensitive.
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