Snapchat denies the controversial remark made on India

Snapchat CEO’s alleged remark of accounting India as a poor country created a controversy on social media leading to a steep drop in Snapchat’s rating on App store

By Rohit

| Updated: Monday, April 17, 2017, 15:06 [IST]

An alleged remark by Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel on stereotyping India led to social unrest in the country, creating troubles for the app maker. Snap Inc. the parent company has now issued an official statement denying the comments made by the CEO, which was first reported by American news website Variety.

Snapchat denies the controversial remark made on India

The news website quoted an ex-employee- Anthony Pompliano, saying that Snapchat CEO told him that the popular app is "only for rich people" and he don't want to expand in India and Spain. The comment created a controversy in India on social networking sites, leading to a steep drop in Snapchat's rating from five stars to just one on the App store. Snapchat has over four million users in India.

It all started when Pompliano, the ex-Snapchat employee said that the CEO Evan Spiegel showed disinterest in expanding the business to "poor countries" like India and Spain. This controversial remark was reportedly made by Snapchat Evan Spiegel in 2015.

As per the latest reports by Variety quoting Snap's attorneys, Pompliano, the ex-employee knows exactly nothing about Snap's current metrics and he and his lawyers are just making things up. Denying the claims of Snapchat being termed as a 'rich people's app', the attorneys termed Pompliano a "disgruntled employee fired for poor performance".

IANS also reports about an official statement by Snap Inc. published on a portal YourStory, which reads, "This is ridiculous. Obviously Snapchat is for everyone! It's available worldwide to download for free."

Snapchat, which has inspired Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram for widely popular stories feature has more than four million users in India. Smartphone users in India are quite fond of the app and did not take the reported remark well from the CEO. Users took it on Twitter and on other social platforms to lash out on the remark made by the CEO. The #boycottsnapchat became the most trending hashtag on Twitter overnight.