Tears of a get-rich-quick guru
Photos by Ismail Ferdous for Rest of World
Influencers like Sunny Ali promote the Amazon seller dream, but not everyone buys the hustlepreneur fantasy.
This feature chronicles the virulent influence of Sunny Ali, a self-styled masculine guru, who sold the hustlepreneur fantasy to thousands of young Pakistani men. Ali built an expansive empire anchored on his portrayal as an ecommerce rainmaker — who lived it up in Malaysia. Young Pakistanis invested substantial financial resources in online courses that promised access to in-person networking events and investors that would set them up as successful Amazon sellers. But soon, the promise of online wealth turned out to be a farce for thousands who only witnessed delays, hidden costs, and no product launch.
Beyond being a mere exposé on the digital influencer, my co-reporter and I, foreground the voices of young people who bought into the hype through on-ground interviews and real-life anecdotes. The story revealed the extent of harm caused — nearly $2.5 million losses. Across countries — U.S., Pakistan, and India — we relentlessly pursued Ali to sit-down for an interview. After evading us for months, he finally granted a face-to-face interview in New York, and a virtual meeting — during which he acknowledged his missteps, and promised to return some of the investor money.