Is talking about to become an empty shell? It looks like a permanent shutdown is looming for the conservatives’ favorite microblogging platform. Rated for its very low moderation, the anti-censorship alternative to Twitter would have removed most of its posts, according to The Verge.
Since November, layoffs have been taking place within the company and its parent company, Parliament Technologies, which specializes in online storage services. But by the end of 2022, 75% of employees left the company. The cuts have even affected Parler executives: the heads of technology, operations and marketing have all been laid off, according to people familiar with the matter.
Absolute freedom of tone.
The platform had its heyday during the 2020 US presidential election. At that time, it even saw a peak of more than 7,000 new users per minute. Because of his outspokenness, Parler has seen many far-right and conservative supporters join his ranks.
The same thing also happened in France as the network was highlighted by Marion Maréchal, former Agrupación Nacional and now executive vice president of the Reconquista party.
But this period of prosperity did not last. Following the defeat of Donald Trump in November 2020, the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 put app stores on alert. The app’s marginal moderation was deemed insufficient by Apple and Google, who banned Parler from the App Store and Google Play Store. Even on the web, the social network has been ostracized.
An Abandoned Kanye West Takeover
In order to be reinstated, Parler had to revise its moderation policy. Except that, meanwhile, other companies -such as Gettr, Rumble or Truth Social, Donald Trump’s platform- have rushed into breaking excessive freedom of expression. Even Twitter has taken over this segment with the acquisition of Elon Musk.
In October, American rapper Kanye West (now officially renamed Ye) set out to buy the social network. The decision followed the suspension of his Twitter and Instagram accounts for anti-Semitic posts. But in the weeks that followed, another spillover by the artist derailed the affair.
At Parler, that’s when the layoffs began. Since then, the number of employees still active has not been clear. As well as the distribution between the Parler teams and the Parliament Technologies team. The Verge mentions that around 20 people would still be present, but that the future is more uncertain than ever for the social network.
Source: BFM TV
