Hark's Million-Dollar Pizza Giveaway Stumbles as AI Agent Charges Customers for 'Free' Food

Hark's ambitious pizza promotion exposed the real-world friction of autonomous shopping: a $30 DoorDash gift card that didn't work. On October 16th, Brett Adcock's AI startup Hark launched a $1 million pizza giveaway through its newly released Hark Pro app, inviting U.S. users to simply type "order a free pizza" and let the AI handle everything—signing into DoorDash, building the order, applying the promotional credit, and completing checkout. Within hours, the promotion turned chaotic as users reported the promised $30 DoorDash vouchers failed to apply at the moment of purchase, leaving them staring at full charges for supposedly complimentary meals.