The company Artesian Builds produced customized, very expensive gaming PCs. They actively advertised it on Twitch. But a single misstep by the then CEO ruined the company.
Which company is it about? Artesian Builds originally manufactured mining rigs for cryptocurrencies. In 2022, they then restructured the company and produced high-end gaming systems with a strong media presence on Twitter and Twitch.
The person behind the company was Noah Katz, who ruined the business on March 1, 2022, in 59 seconds.
A contest destroys the gaming PC company
What went wrong? On March 1, 2022, Artesian Builds held a Twitch live stream with a contest. A new gaming PC was being raffled off. The streamer Kiapiaa won the raffle, but CEO Noah Katz refused to hand over the gaming PC.
He explained that the streamer did not meet the requirements for an “ambassador” because she did not have a sufficiently large following on social media. Katz then decided to repeat the contest. The whole action lasted less than 1 minute, but from that moment on, everything went wrong.
What happens next? This one appearance and the streamer’s complaint afterward that she was treated unfairly ruined the company’s reputation:
- There was a wave of outrage on Twitter.
- Previous supporters distanced themselves from the company. More than 5,000 followers were lost and important partners distanced themselves. For instance, big CoD streamer Nickmercs wanted nothing more to do with Artesian Builds.
- Apparently, many orders were also canceled.
Finally “Artesian Builds” stopped distribution on March 9, because without orders, they could not operate. Subsequently, they wanted to restart and rebuild the company’s reputation.
The employees also considered whether they should buy the company themselves and continue it. Because they quickly identified CEO Noah Katz as the big villain. But nothing came of it.
Company no longer exists and the CEO has vanished
What does the situation look like today? The company no longer exists. After the bankruptcy of Artesian Builds, the employees were laid off and the remaining equipment was auctioned off to settle debts. The Twitch streamer Trainwreck allegedly wanted to buy the broken PC company, but nothing came of it.
What Noah Katz, the former CEO, is doing now is not known. Maybe he has returned to his roots: Initially, Katz built custom cosplay armor with a 3D printer, which he sold on Etsy.
Other streamers also produce gaming PCs. The most well-known tech YouTuber has now publicly disassembled the gaming PC:
