- Truth Social, Donald Trump's social-media venture, has struggled since its botched launch in February.
- Now Reuters reports that two 'key' execs have resigned from the company behind it.
- Trump decided to create Truth Social after he was kicked off Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Two "key" executives have resigned from the startup behind Truth Social, the social-media app launched in February by former president Donald Trump, Reuters reported Monday.
Josh Adams, technology chief, and Billy Boozer, head of product development, have resigned from their roles, Reuters said, citing two sources familiar with the venture.
The launch of the Truth Social app on February 20 was plagued by technical difficulties, with wannabe users unable to create accounts or placed on lengthy waitlists. Many of the app's touted features, such as direct messaging, remain unavailable.
Adams' and Boozer's apparent exits could hinder Truth Social's efforts to compete with mainstream platforms like Twitter, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the company. "If Josh has left…all bets are off," one source told Reuters, adding that Adams was the "brains" behind Truth Social's tech.
Reuters said it couldn't determine precisely when Adams and Boozer started working on Truth Social, when they resigned their roles, whether the company had found replacements for them, or whether they continued to work at the company but in different roles.
Boozer, The Trump Organization, and Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the owner of Truth Social, didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Adams couldn't be reached for comment.
Boozer declined to comment to Reuters. Adams and representatives for both TMTG and Trump didn't respond to the publication's request for comment.
Trump announced early in 2021 he was creating his own social-media app after he was banned from Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube in the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol siege. Trump has repeatedly criticized the platforms for removing his accounts and accused them of censoring free speech.
Adams, from Alabama, had previously co-founded Daring Bit Assembly, a product and software development consultancy specializing in fintech, which lists The Home Depot, NASCAR, the US Patent and Trademark Office, and the FBI among its clients.
Boozer, also from Alabama, founded software-development firm Boo and has worked in a string of other tech roles, according to his LinkedIn profile.
As of Monday morning, Truth Social sat at No. 35 on the Apple App Store's social-media rankings. It has a 4.2-star rating based on 46,600 reviews. Bloomberg reported last week, citing Apptopia data, that downloads of Truth Social had dropped 95% since launch.
Truth Social is currently available only in the US and only on iPhone. On its website, Truth Social says an Android version is "coming soon."
Trump has posted just once on Truth Social
Insider's Rosie Bradbury gained access to Truth Social after spending around three weeks on its waitlist. "It was like a conservative ghost town that had been overrun by bots," she wrote.
Truth Social's user interface looks a lot like Twitter's, with the ability to "follow" other users; select tabs on each user's page to view their posts, posts and replies, and shared media; and upload a cover photo and circular profile picture for each account.
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Sean Hannity both have profiles on the app, as do some news outlets like TMZ and the UK's Daily Mail.
But the only post on Trump's personal account on the app is from its beta trial in mid-February. Prominent Republicans lawmakers and conservative commentators like Ben Shapiro and Alex Jones don't appear to have account on the app.
Dit artikel is oorspronkelijk verschenen op z24.nl