By In a significant setback for former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Truth Social app, the head of engineering for the company, Alex Gleason, has announced his resignation. This development comes at a time of ongoing uncertainty for Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the organization behind Truth Social. The app was launched as a means for Trump to engage with his base after being banned from major social media platforms following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
Gleason, the founder of Soapbox Technology, a provider of open-source technology for decentralized social media platforms, revealed in an interview that he will be leaving TMTG to focus on Soapbox full-time. His primary objective will be to develop technology that facilitates the connection between multiple decentralized platforms.
TMTG enlisted Gleason’s services in January 2022 to adapt Soapbox’s technology for their own requirements. It was intended to serve as the front-end technology for the Truth Social app, which users would interact with. However, TMTG has not provided any comment on Gleason’s departure at this time.
Since its launch in February 2022, Truth Social has faced challenges in achieving substantial user growth. Moreover, Trump has been reinstated on more widely-used platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, causing Truth Social’s user base to remain relatively small. This is in stark contrast to the growth targets set by TMTG in November 2021 when they projected the app would have 56 million users by 2024 and 81 million by 2026. According to data from Similarweb, Truth Social currently has an estimated 607,000 monthly users.
As of July 17, Trump had 5.71 million followers on Truth Social, a far cry from the over 88 million followers he had on Twitter before his suspension. TMTG’s plans to go public through a merger with blank-check firm Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC) have also been in jeopardy. Investigations by the Justice Department and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have caused delays in the closing of the merger. However, a recent filing indicated that DWAC has reached a tentative agreement with the SEC staff, pending final approval of the terms.
These recent developments highlight the challenges faced by Truth Social and the wider Trump Media & Technology Group. The resignation of Alex Gleason and the difficulties in gaining traction among users pose significant hurdles for the future success of the app. With ongoing investigations and uncertainty surrounding the proposed merger, the path ahead for TMTG remains uncertain.
