Parler’s board of directors has fired the company’s CEO, John Matze.
Matze had led the controversial right-wing social media platform since 2018, but had a rough few weeks after Amazon removed Parler from its web servers in early January.
“I did not participate in this decision,” Matze wrote in a letter to employees obtained by Fox Business on Wednesday. In the letter, he said the decision was made Jan. 29.
“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.”
Amazon said its decision to remove Parler was based on the company’s refusal to moderate content. The site is accused of hosting right-wingers who plotted the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and its app has been removed from Apple’s and Google’s platforms.
“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, according to Fox Business. “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.”
