- Parler CEO John Matze said he was fired by the company’s board, Fox Business reported on Wednesday.
- The app was recently taken offline after Amazon, Google and Apple launched it from their platforms.
- He came under scrutiny following the Capitol riot for allowing violent speech.
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Parler CEO John Matze told employees that the company’s board fired him last week, Fox Business reported on Wednesday.
“On January 29, 2021, the Parler board controlled by Rebekah Mercer decided to immediately terminate my position as CEO of Parler. I did not participate in that decision,” Matze told employees in a memo, according to Fox, adding: “I I understand that those who now control the company have made some communications to employees and third parties that, unfortunately, have created confusion and led me to make this public statement. “
Parler, a popular social media app among the far right, is funded by Rebekah Mercer, a conservative megadonora whose family was among the most influential supporters of then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016.
The company was investigated after the Capitol insurrection, when evidence emerged that protesters had used Parler and other platforms to coordinate the attack.
Under public pressure, Apple and Google removed Parler from their app stores, saying they continued to allow content that threatened to increase violence, violating their policies. Shortly after, Amazon removed Parler’s access to its web hosting services, and other technology companies refused to do business with him, effectively taking the platform offline.
Read More: Within Parler’s rapid and mysterious rise, Twitter’s ‘freedom of expression’ alternative, which created a platform for conservatives by burning the Silicon Valley script
Matze entered the media spotlight amid the industry’s response, repeatedly defending the company’s negligent approach to content moderation and saying it would be back online in late January.
Since then, she has tried to return to using marginal service providers, such as a Russian technology company with links to racist, far-right and conspiracy theory websites.
Far-right users and conservatives have flocked to Parler in recent months in protest against other social media apps that have begun to crack down on electoral misinformation, hate speech and attempts to incite violence more strongly. The app was downloaded millions of times in the days after the November election, jumping to number one on the App Store.