My name is V. Matthew (bka nukirk.), and I’m reaching out because I’ve found myself in a tough spot after losing my main source of income. I work as a delivery rider, and recently, my preferred platform I relied on mistakenly flagged me as a car driver instead of an eBike rider. Because of this error, I was removed from the platform and lost access to the work that helped me pay my bills and rent. While I’m actively trying to resolve the issue and have reached out to the company, the process has been slow, and in the meantime, I’ve missed important payments, including last month’s rent. The sudden loss of income has been overwhelming, and although I have other ways to support myself, nothing has been able to replace what I lost so quickly.
During my efforts to raise my income, my eBike was targeted because the battery was left in the bike. Although I only left it out for 15 minutes, I came back to find the security seat post vandalized and someone had tried to remove the battery. Their attempt failed, but it caused the battery to become stuck, so now I need to pay for battery removal, potentially a new security seat post, and a new rail for loading and securing the battery. The eBike is an important part of how I get around and work, so this setback has made things even harder.
In addition to my delivery work, I am a creator on Instagram and went viral back in November for wanting to ask NYC Mayor Mamdani a question about his use of Hinge. I was in the middle of arranging that interview now that he's mayor, but the sudden loss of income forced me to change course and focus on stabilizing my finances. I want to be transparent—while some may wonder about my intentions, my focus right now is on getting my finances in order, which is why I haven’t yet followed up on the viral moment. I hope to do so once things are more secure.
The funds raised here will help me cover last month’s rent and late fees, catch up on bills, repair my eBike, and hopefully pay next month’s rent as well. This support will give me the breathing room I need to focus on improving my performance on other gig-economy platforms or finding more stable work and clients. I’m determined to get back on my feet, but right now, I need a little help to bridge the gap.
I am deeply grateful for any support you can offer. As a thank you, I want to give back to my supporters—small donations will receive a sticker or artwork, and larger donations will come with memberships to my future creative platform, ranging from 6 months to lifetime access. Your help means the world to me and will make a real difference as I work to get back on track. You can also follow my journey and see updates about how AI impacted my income on Instagram (@nukirk). I’ve posted videos about my experience here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DU8gbpdlYXb/ (Part 1) and https://www.instagram.com/p/DVO7VCIkl-u/ (Part 2). Thank you for reading and for considering a donation.