Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc via Getty Images; Win McNamee/Getty Images
- What happened last week?
- Twitter and Facebook suspended President Donald Trump’s accounts as armed Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol on Wednesday. Twitter made its ban permanent on Friday.
- On Wednesday, alternative social media app Parler erupted in calls for a violent revolution. Google banned it from its app store on Friday.
- Publisher Simon & Schuster on Thursday cancelled a book deal with Senator Josh Hawley. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and billionaire Mark Cuban weighed in on Friday.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
What happened last week?
With a violent mob descending on Washington DC and ransacking the Capitol, it was a week for the history books. After the disruption, Congress worked through the night to certify Joe Biden’s election win. Chief executives condemned the siege, calling it “sad and shameful.” Some Venture Capital firms demanded an end to business dealings with President Donald Trump’s inner circle.
Here’s just a few things that happened last week.
Twitter and Facebook suspended Trump
Donald J. Trump via Twitter/via REUTERS
As rioters rampaged in the Capitol on Wednesday, Twitter suspended President Donald Trump for 12 hours, as many had called for it to do. Facebook followed suit on Thursday, suspending the president until the end of his time in office.
On Thursday night, Trump’s Twitter account was reactivated. His first posted a scripted video. By Friday, he was back to posting in his own words, letting everyone know he would not be attending the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
"To all those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th," he wrote.
Some critics said the companies had been responsible for the siege. Others added their suspensions didn't go far enough, calling them "a Band-Aid on a bullet wound." On Friday, a boat docked outside Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's mansion with a banner reading: "Twitter: Ban Trump." Later on Friday, Twitter suspended Trump's account permanently.
Parler welcomes pro-Trump chatter
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty
The pro-Trump mob that descended on the Capitol on Wednesday had been chatting online about doing so for days. They'd been on Twitter, Facebook, and, especially, Parler, the "free speech" app. Facebook had banned their groups, so they flocked to MeWe and Parler in the days before the siege.
As the crowds forced their way into building, Parler erupted in calls for a violent revolution. Users posted with hashtags like #revolution, #fightback, #firingsquad, and #civilwar.
"State legislatures didn't listen. State governments didn't listen. Congress didn't listen. State Officials didn't listen. And the courts didn't even try to hear them," one Parler user wrote. "This was the inevitable outcome."
After the attack, far-right conspiracy theories spread like wildfire on Parler. A photo from a HuffPost reporter quickly became an alt-right meme. Many on social media baselessly accused Antifa, a leftist group, of infiltrating the pro-Trump rally to start the seige.
Simon & Schuster, AOC, and Mark Cuban
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
Publisher Simon & Schuster on Thursday cancelled a book deal with Senator Josh Hawley. The publisher said it hadn't "come to this decision lightly." It took the action after "witnessing the disturbing, deadly insurrection that took place on Washington," the publisher said in its statement.
Publication of "The Tyranny of Big Tech" had been scheduled for June.
"Only approved speech can now be published," Hawley said, calling the publisher's staff a "woke mob."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocked Hawley for "crying over a book deal."
—Mark Cuban (@mcuban) January 8, 2021
The senator's remarks circulated for about a day before billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban responded on Twitter.
On Friday, Cuban said: "Josh, let me explain Capitalism to you. Sometimes people decide not to do business with you. It's their decision. You know the whole "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service" thing ? In your case it happens to be "No Principles, No Honesty, No Book" thing. Feel free to Self-Publish."
ICYMI
Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba and leader of Ant Group, reportedly hasn't been seen in months. Reports say he's "laying low" after voicing concerns about the government.
That's all for this week. See you next week.