Two top executives at Donald Trump's social media platform, Truth Social, have resigned after a month of misfires and a lack of interest from the former president.
Reuters reports that Josh Adams and Billy Boozer, Truth Social's chiefs of technology and product development, have resigned. They left the company less than a year after joining and just before a critical phase in the platform's life kicks off - app development and release.
Truth Social was sold to conservatives as a Trump-approved alternative to Twitter, free of censorship and "cancel culture," but with the added "benefit" of Mr Trump actively participating on the platform. Since its launch on 20 February, the platform has been derided by tech critics and a source of frustration for conservatives who were placed into long wait lists before they were allowed access.
Truth Social launched with only an iPhone app, leaving out 40 per cent of the US mobile market. The company said it planned to build an Android app at some point in the future.
In addition to the app's lack of functionality and the substantial number of interested users locked out of accessing the site, the platform also – arguably – suffered from a severe lack of Mr Trump.
Despite Mr Trump's participation being a central selling point, the former president has thus far posted once on his own social media app. He has made dozens of statements on his personal website, some of which are even Twitter-length.
"Our Country has totally lost its self-confidence!" Mr Trump wrote on his website on 23 February. His Twitter look-alike app had launched three days prior.
Mr Adams and Mr Boozer did not offer a comment to Reuters explaining their departure from the company, and it is unclear if the company's bumpy rollout influenced their exit.
Sources close to the company that spoke with Reuters said the company's future would be uncertain without the tech executives steering its course, especially when an Android version of the platform’s app still needed to be developed.
“If Josh has left… all bets are off,” one individual told Reuters, referencing Mr Adams, who they called the "brains" behind the platform's technology.
When the two men signed onto the project they reportedly embraced its message of being "anti-cancel culture," and hoped to create an "open platform, where as long as you don't say anything that is criminal, you can be entitled to your opinion," according to a source.
Truth Social reportedly tried to cultivate a workforce of ideologically like-minded individuals through the use of screenings and political tests. As a result, the company's hiring pool was shallow, forcing the Truth Social team to recruit.
One source speaking with the outlet said that at least one individual the company tried to recruit said they couldn't stomach the idea of working for Mr Trump. Another potential recruit reportedly told company headhunters that they were afraid a site like Truth Social and its employees would be the target of hackers.
Mr Adams and Mr Boozer, both conservatives, apparently passed the company's political litmus test, but never publicised their work for Mr Trump's platform. Their job titles at Truth Social were not added to their LinkedIn profiles – which were both active – and the company did not issue a statement announcing their hiring.
