Recovering From Criminal Attack, Vishnu Hari Says Legal Clause Bars Comment On Co-Founder’s Exit

India-West News Desk

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Vishnu Hari, the Indian American co-founder of Silicon Valley startup Ego, is in the headlines following the departure of his fellow co-founder, Peggy Wang, who announced on September 26 that she was stepping down to start her own venture.

Hari’s story drew national attention earlier this year after he was brutally attacked in San Francisco. On January 18, he was struck on the back of his head with a metal pipe in an unprovoked assault that left him hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury. The attack caused partial blindness in his right eye, hearing loss in his left ear, and the loss of all his jewelry and piercings. He spent two weeks in the ICU before being discharged on February 1.

Wang, in her social media post announcing her departure, described herself as “incredibly bullish” on Hari — whom she referred to as Vish — and the rest of the Ego team. She did not mention Hari’s attack or the challenges he had faced while recovering.

Her departure sparked immediate criticism online, with some accusing her of abandoning Hari during a critical period.

Hari addressed the situation, revealing that Wang had required him to sign a non-disparagement clause while he was still recovering from blood clots in his brain. “I was asked to sign by her lawyers. I wanted to go back to healing and just focus on rebuilding the company with what little cognition I had back then,” he said, adding that the rest of the team remained supportive and that he holds “no ill will against anyone.”