India, Feb. 26 -- Startup accelerator Y Combinator has removed a video demo from its social media channels after it sparked massive backlash for promoting what critics called "dystopian" workplace surveillance. The video, posted by Optifye.ai, showcased an AI-powered system designed to monitor factory workers' efficiency in real-time.

Optifye.ai, co-founded by Indian-origin entrepreneurs Vivaan Baid and Kushal Mohta, uses computer vision technology to track workers on assembly lines and provide factory managers with productivity data. The controversial demo featured the founders role-playing as factory supervisors using their software.

In the video, Baid identifies an underperforming worker, referred to only as "Number 17," and repriman...