Parler CEO Matze Says He Was Dismissed by Social Network’s Board

(Bloomberg) -- Parler, the social media site that touted itself as a “free speech” alternative to mainstream networks, has dismissed Chief Executive Officer John Matze, according to a post on his LinkedIn page.

Matze, sharing a story from Fox Business, which earlier reported the news, said “this is not a goodbye. Just a so long for now.” His profile now lists him as a founder and iOS developer. Parler representatives didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to his note to employees, obtained by Fox, he didn’t leave voluntarily. “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,” the memo states.

The company gained popularity as a platform for conservatives fleeing stricter content rules on Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. But because of its users’ role in planning violent riots at the U.S. Capitol in January, both Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Apple Inc. removed Parler from their app stores, while Amazon.com Inc. pulled cloud-hosting support, meaning the site has been offline for the past several weeks.

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