Parler CEO John Matze says he’s been terminated by the social media company’s board, according to a memo obtained by Fox News.
Matze sent the memo to staffers saying he’d been relieved of his duties on Jan. 29, according to Fox. “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, according to Fox News.
EXCLUSIVE: Parler CEO John Matze says he’s been terminated by board: ‘I did not participate in this decision’ https://t.co/iGzrnFsZwo
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) February 3, 2021
In the memo, Matze said he’s been met with “constant resistance” to his original pro-free speech vision in recent 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.”
Parler’s hosting was shut down by Amazon Web Services several days after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, leaving the site unusable. “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 went on to say. (RELATED: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Tweeted A Gay Slur At Lindsey Graham)
Parler was a popular service among some conservatives, particularly supporters of former President Donald Trump. as an alternative to other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The site experienced a surge in users following the permanent banning of Trump from Twitter before being shut down by Amazon.
The site was expected to relaunch by the beginning of February but that has been delayed due to new branding and internal company changes, a Parler source allegedly told Fox. Google and Apple have both suspended Parler from their mobile app marketplaces.