Snapchat maker Snap Inc. is denying that its CEO, Evan Spiegel, once said the app was "only for rich people" and he didn't "want to expand into poor countries like India and Spain."
The quote, which Snap is calling "ridiculous," came from a recently unredacted court complaint by Anthony Pompliano, who served as the company's growth lead for a few weeks in 2015. In the complaint, Pompliano recounts an exchange he said he had with Spiegel in a September 2015 meeting about the app's international growth plans.
Snapchat's app ratings have taken a hit since Variety and numerous other outlets highlighted the quote from the complaint last week. A deluge of social-media posts and one-star reviews in Google and Apple's app stores feature many users voicing their disapproval.
The scale of anger against India is so high in the Valley that many Kashmiris have installed @Snapchat because its CEO 'insulted' poor India
— جہانگیر علی (@Gaamuk) April 16, 2017
I am very poor so uninstalled #snapchat but thanks for entertaining for this many days. @evanspiegel@Snapchat don't mess with India. pic.twitter.com/mlyaMuS9AI
— Shreyas Singh (@Shreyas_singh1) April 15, 2017"This is ridiculous," a Snap representative told Business Insider and severalIndian news outlets on Sunday. "Obviously, Snapchat is for everyone! It's available worldwide to download for free. Those words were written by a disgruntled former employee. We are grateful for our Snapchat community in India and around the world."