Fahim Saleh

Biography Saleh was born in Saudi Arabia to Bangladeshi parents who frequently relocated for work, before settling in Rochester, New York. He taught himself to program at a young age and created various online projects, including a website for his family, a teenage social platform, and a prank call service, PrankDial. After graduating from Bentley University, He used income from PrankDial to fund his other ventures. The service was controversial for being misused as a harassment tool.

In 2015, Saleh founded the ride-sharing company Pathao, popular in Bangladesh and Nepal. The company was later valued at $100 million. In 2018, Saleh founded Gokada, a Nigerian motorbike ride-hailing company. The company raised millions in funding but faced a major setback when Lagos authorities banned motorbike taxis in 2020. He also invested in Picap, a Colombian ride-sharing company.

Friends dubbed Saleh the "Elon Musk of the developing world." Complex estimated his net worth at $150 million.

Death On July 14, 2020, Saleh's body was found dismembered in his Lower East Side apartment. Detectives classified this case as a homicide. A police source told The New York Times that Saleh was followed by a man dressed in black into the key-secured elevator that led to his apartment on the seventh floor.

On July 17, Saleh's assistant, 21-year-old Tyrese Devon Haspil, was arrested and charged with his murder. Surveillance footage showed Haspil using Saleh's credit card and purchasing cleaning supplies and tools afterward at Home Depot.

Reactions Saleh's death shocked the tech community. Gokada described him as "a great leader, inspiration and positive light for all of us." Pathao also paid tribute. Tyrese Devon Haspil pleaded not guilty. In early 2024, Haspil stated that he will present an insanity defense for his trial to a Manhattan jury, alleging he suffered from "extreme emotional disturbance." His case is represented by Legal Aid Society lawyer Sam Roberts. If he is able to convince the jury, his charges could possibly be reduced to manslaughter, which carries a sentence of 5 to 20 years, as opposed to 20 years to life for murder.