John Matze
Parler CEO John Matze said he was terminated by the board of the social media platform.
“I did not participate in this decision” – Matze said in a memo obtained by Fox News. “The future of Parler is no longer in my hands.”
A major Parler investor told The Gateway Pundit that this was an internal power struggle that was holding up getting the social media site back online. Now that it has been resolved it is expected to be back online soon.
Fox Business reported:
EXCLUSIVE – Parler has terminated CEO John Matze, according to a memo Matze sent to staffers that has been obtained by Fox News.
“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 this decision,” Matze wrote. “I understand that those who now control the company have made some communications to employees and other third parties that have unfortunately created confusion and prompted me to make this public statement.”
“Over the past few months, I’ve met constant resistance to my product vision, my strong belief in free speech and my view of how the Parler site should be managed. For example, I advocated for more product stability and what I believe is a more effective approach to content moderation,” Matze wrote.
“I have worked endless hours and fought constant battles to get the Parler site running but at this point, the future of Parler is no longer in my hands,” he continued. “I want to thank the Parler employees, the people on Parler and Parler supporters for their tireless work and devotion to the company. They are an amazing group of diverse, hardworking and talented individuals and I have the utmost respect for them. Many of them have become my second family.”
Parler, the free speech alternative to Twitter, was deplatformed last month after Big Tech worked together to remove the social media company from app stores.
Amazon took the entire site down after Apple and Google removed Parler from their app stores.
Matze, who previously went into hiding after getting death threats, told staffers that he will be taking some time off before looking for a new venture.
After that, I’ll be looking for new opportunities where my technical acumen, vision and the causes I am passionate about will be required and respected,” he wrote. “I want to thank all the people of Parler that supported me and the platform. This has been the true American Dream: an idea from a living room to a company of considerable value. I’m not saying goodbye, just so long for now.”
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