Threats and fake reviews: BOULT co-founder alleges dirty tactics by rivals to derail brand’s growth
BOULT co-founder Varun Gupta has accused rival companies of using threats, fake reviews, and intimidation to suppress the brand’s rise in India's consumer tech market.
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Varun Gupta, co-founder of the audio brand BOULT, has made allegations against rival companies, claiming they used pressure tactics and sabotage to stall the company’s growth as it gained market share in the competitive consumer electronics space. In a LinkedIn post, Gupta shared what he called the “ugly side” of the business, alleging that BOULT was targeted with threats and intimidation simply for building a successful product.
“We thought building a better product would be enough. Turns out… it made us a threat,” Gupta wrote.
According to Gupta, the trouble began with “whispers, conversations they weren’t supposed to hear,” followed by calls made to retailers with warnings to stop stocking BOULT products or risk losing access to other brands.
“Shelves changed overnight… not because we couldn’t deliver, but because we were delivering too well,” he said.
Labeling the behavior “anti-competitive,” Gupta claimed the hostility extended well beyond traditional business rivalry. He alleged that competitors tried to poach key team members with “fake roles and inflated salaries,” and when that didn’t work, the attacks intensified.
He listed a series of tactics that he says were deployed against the brand: threats to employees, fake one-star reviews during product launches, damaging media stories, and whisper campaigns on social media and in journalists’ DMs.
“All this… because we refused to play the game their way,” Gupta wrote.
Gupta emphasized that BOULT had been built without deep-pocketed investors or industry support, and said the brand’s rapid rise had made “some people very uncomfortable.”
“I used to think this was just business, but now I know it’s a system designed to keep control,” he wrote.
He concluded his post with a promise of further revelations:
“Part 3 drops soon. And we’re not just talking anymore, we’re naming what others won’t.”
