Startup co-founder Peggy Wang under fire for leaving firm amid co-founder’s recovery after assault

Peggy Wang, co-founder of Silicon Valley startup Ego, is facing backlash online after announcing her departure from the company months after her fellow co-founder, Vishnu Hari, was violently attacked in San Francisco. 

Wang revealed on social media that she had stepped away from Ego “a couple months ago” due to differing visions and was now launching a new consumer AI startup under Y Combinator’s F25 batch. “I remain incredibly bullish on Vish, the team, and the space they're building in,” she wrote. 

Hari, who was attacked on January 18 while walking home from a corner store, suffered a traumatic brain injury and spent two weeks in the ICU. “He attacked me when I was walking home... for absolutely no reason,” Hari wrote in a February 1 post. “As a result... I’m partially blind in my right eye and can’t hear well out of my left ear.” 

Critics online accused Wang of abandoning Hari during his recovery and launching a competing venture. One user wrote, “Screwed over her co-founder while he just got out of hospital… You’re a trash human being, Peggy.” Another called the situation “evil.” 

Hari later revealed he had been asked to sign a non-disparagement clause while still recovering from brain trauma. “I wanted to go back to healing and just focus on rebuilding the company,” he said, adding that the rest of the team remained supportive. 

Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan came to Wang’s defense, stating on X, “If you are coming after Peggy and verbally abusive and disrespectful, I am watching. It’s not OK and there will be consequences.”