Advertisement
Sections
'Boycott Snapchat' protest rages on social media over CEO Evan Spiegel's alleged 'poor India' comments
Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel's alleged comments about not wanting to expand into poor countries like India garners backlash and mass app uninstallations

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel is in hot water, not just due to a lawsuit against him, which you can see below, but also due to the allegations made in the lawsuit, especially related to India.Snapchat unredacted lawsuit by gmaddaus on Scribd If you are waiting with bated breath for Spiegel to give an explanation on Twitter, don't. As the 26-year-old billionaire hasn't shared a single tweet yet. Share your opinion about Boycott Snapchat on the Twitter poll below:
A lawsuit by a Snapchat ex-employee Anthony Pompliano alleges that Spiegel had some insulting things to say about India when he addressed that the app was not taking off overseas. Pompliano claims that Spiegel said that, “This app is only for rich people,” adding that, “I don’t want to expand into poor countries like India and Spain.”This obviously did not sit well with the Indian audience. They decided to show their indignation by not just giving Spiegel a piece of their mind on Twitter through the hashtag #BoycottSnapchat, but by also uninstalling the app and leaving a one-star rating on the app before doing the same. Considering how India is the top country to download apps from Google Play Store and has significant clout on the Apple store market too, Snapchat has some serious damage control to undertake. In fact, the app is already has a 1-star rating on the Apple Store!From outrage to some classic internet jokes, here are some tweets that emerged from the Boycott Snapchat protest.Some other disturbing aspects of the lawsuit include that Snap Inc was exaggerating its user data and that Spiegel and co had also badmouthed him to prospective employers, making it tough for him to find work. What makes it worse is now that Pompliano has found work with Facebook, he was also asked for a Facebook org chart, which is a clear violation of his confidentiality agreement with Facebook. Variety reported the response that the Snap Inc attorneys released. They said that, "The simple fact is that he knows exactly nothing about Snap’s current metrics,” adding that, “He and his lawyers are — not to put too fine a point on matters — just making things up.” They also reported that Snap described Pompliano as a “disgruntled employee fired for poor performance.” We went to the Snapchat app on the Google Play store to see whether the negative reviews and installations were actually pouring in. We found out that there were, in fact, a barrage of negative 1-star ratings from India.
First Published:Apr 16, 2017, 13:16:35 IST
Advertisement
Advertisement

CJP protest in Delhi: New videos of stone pelting, violence emerge as police, agitators trade charges
Fresh videos of violence that broke out during the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protest in Delhi have surfaced, with the police releasing footage showing alleged stone pelting, vandalism and attacks on security personnel
3 min read
'From make in India to launch from India': Skyroot COO on why Vikram-1 could change India’s space sector
Skyroot Aerospace’s successful Vikram-1 mission marks a major milestone for India’s private space sector, as the country seeks to shift from “Make in India” to “Launch from India” and compete in the global commercial satellite launch market
8 min read
Choke terror funding, keep international shipping lanes safe: Jaishankar at Asean Regional Forum
Jaishankar's remarks came against the backdrop of recent terror attacks targeting India and growing threats to commercial shipping amid conflicts in West Asia and Europe
2 min read
PM Modi announces fast-track courts for paper leak cases; CJP responds ‘Dharmendra Pradhan must go’
Amid protests demanding accountability for the leak of medical entrance test Neet and other irregularities in the education system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the government has decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks.
3 min read
Sikkim tunnel collapse rescue resumes, death toll rises to 22
The death toll at the collapsed tunnel at Sikkim's Namchi district rose to 22 after nine more bodies were recovered overnight. At least 27 workers were trapped in a tunnel at an NHPC project after a sudden burst of suspected methane gas trapped within rock formations triggered an explosion.
2 min read
Advertisement
Advertisement
