‘All Bets Are Off’: Conservative Tech Execs Jump Ship as Trump’s ‘Truth Social’ Tanks

Aside from necessary filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Donald Trump-backed ‘Truth Social’ has remained tight-lipped about those serving in key leadership roles. However, recently reported resignations appear to explain the uphill battle faced by a right-wing venture in a left-leaning industry.

Truth Social Chief Technology Officer Josh Adams and Billy Boozer, head of product development, have resigned from their respective roles amid the venture’s fumbled rollout and uncertain future, according to an exclusive report from Reuters.

Citing eight anonymous individuals “with knowledge of Truth Social’s activities,” the report detailed that Boozer and Adams, described by one individual as the “brains” behind the app’s technology, initially embraced the “anti-cancel culture” and free speech mission laid out by higher-ups.

However, prior to securing their positions, Adams and Boozer were vetted to determine whether their political ideology would align with that of its target audience, according to one source. This process reportedly included deep dives into their social media presence, as well as podcast commentary.

At least one candidate rejected a position with the Trump-branded company, telling hiring officers that he could not stomach working for the former US president, according to a source. Others who rebuffed recruitment outreach raised concerns about employees potentially becoming targets for politically-motivated hackers and other cyber criminals.

Adams was characterized by the report as a “constitutionalist” whose ideology is rooted in the strict interpretation of the authors’ original intent for the US Constitution. A software developer by trade, Adams co-founded the consultant group Daring Bit Assembly, which has a number of federal and corporate clients.

Boozer, a political conservative who collaborated with Adams in the past, is said to have complemented Adams’ back-end expertise with his own user interface development.

Both of the conservative candidates presumably fit the bill, as they were both working on the app by fall 2021.

With no press release or public announcement on their hirings, both Adams and Boozer were not initially linked or remotely identified as having ties to the startup until a November 2021 filing with the SEC by Digital World Acquisition Corp.

Digital World Acquisition Corp. is the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that was formed via a merger between investors and Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG). The SEC has been investigating the SPAC since late last year.

The technology team of Digital World Acquisition Corp., the ‘special purpose acquisition company' formed to launch Truth Social following a merger between investors and Trump Media & Technology Group. [November 2021 SEC filing]

© SEC/ Digital World Acquisition Corp

Even then, their last names were partially withheld, identifying them as “Josh A.” and “Billy B.”

Although a reason was not provided for the reported resignations of Adams and Boozer, at least one source claimed that their departure–which could be reassignments within the company–presents a bleak outlook for Truth Social.

“If Josh [Adams] has left … all bets are off,” the individual told Reuters.

It remains unclear how involved former US President Donald Trump is with the day-to-day operations and direction of the so-called alternative social media platform, although he has reportedly expressed his discontent with the app’s performance on multiple occassions.

The former US president has also refrained from public activity on Truth Social, despite his account amassing an additional 800,000 fans in recent weeks.

“Get Ready! Your favorite President will see you soon!” reads his one-and-only post to the app associated with his personal brand.

TMTG CEO Devin Nunes, a former US lawmaker who left Congress to head Trump’s venture, told Fox News back in February that the app would not be fully functional until the end of March.

With that date in the rear-view, a plethora of prospective users remain on the platform’s waitlist.

As those on the waiting list aired out their grievances, app downloads also saw a drastic decline, dropping from a peak of 170,000 downloads a day to a mere 8,000 downloads a day, The Daily Beast reported, citing data from analytics firm Apptopia. The reported daily active users stood at 513,000 as of last week, which pales in comparison to longstanding platforms like Twitter, which boasts 217 million for the same metric.

The fledgling social media platform is also actively restricting its base, as it is only available on Apple’s App Store via iOS-enabled devices.