Parler CEO John Matze is apparently CEO no more. In a memo to staff sighted by Fox Business, Matze reportedly revealed that he has been unilaterally removed from the position and will be leaving the company.
“On January 29, 2021, the Parler board controlled by Rebekah Mercer decided to immediately terminate my position as CEO of Parler,” Matze wrote. “I did not participate in this decision.” Matze also texted Reuters to confirm his firing.
Mashable has reached out to Parler for comment on the firing.
Co-founded by Matze and Jared Thomson in 2018, Parler was a gathering ground for people who believe conservative views are being censored on other social media platforms. (Spoiler alert: They aren’t.) The platform has been offline since Jan. 15, when Amazon suspended Parler from its web-hosting services for violating its terms of service — a move prompted by the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Several other tech companies cracked down on Parler as well, with Google and Apple removing the app from their respective app stores due to safety concerns surrounding its lack of moderation prior to the AWS move. Matze continued to insist Parler would return, however it now seems he won’t be one of the people behind it if it does.
“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,” 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.”
Matze will not be staying on at Parler in another role, instead taking some time off before “looking for new opportunities.”
“I’m not saying goodbye, just so long for now,” wrote Matze.