Angry Users Are DELETING HQ Trivia Over This Controversial Investor
5 February 2018, 12:38
The truth about where the funding from the trivia app comes from has pissed off a lot of people.
If you haven't played at least one game of the internet's favourite quiz show, HQ Trivia, then you're missing out. Presented by the iconic Scott Rogowsky, the game goes live a few times a day where almost one million people tune in to try and win real life money in a 12-question quiz. (If you're in the UK, the show is presented by Sharon Carpenter, and the pool of players is much much smaller.)
But now, people are threatening to delete the HQ Trivia app after news that its huge new $15 million investment is coming out of the pocket of someone problematic.
It was announced last week that Trump-supporting (and funding) billionaire Peter Thiel would be funding the app through his Founders Fund company. He's also the man who used his money and power to shut down Gawker and once wrote women's right to vote was bad for democracy. Now, many players no longer want to support the app knowing that the money they might win during a game would be coming out of his pocket.
Soon after the news broke, fans of the app took to Twitter to announce that they were deleting the app with the hashtag #DeleteHQ.
Dear @hqtrivia I will be deleting your app today. I cannot support a business associated with @peterthiel. I hope this is simply a failure on your part to due diligence on before accepting his help. #DELETEHQ
— josephcouture (@josephcouture) February 2, 2018
.@hqtrivia Peter Thiel, seriously? brb uninstalling your app. Was fun while it lasted!
— Gary Whitta (@garywhitta) February 2, 2018
See ya, @ScottRogowsky. #DELETEHQ https://t.co/9tNMutJ4ZN pic.twitter.com/CtQGSrubMh
— Zack Whittaker (@zackwhittaker) February 2, 2018
please delete HQ I know I am https://t.co/RoouZtCADS #DELETEHQ pic.twitter.com/0htRCIm03y
— Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) February 2, 2018
*5 seconds later* we regret to inform you the silly cellphone quiz show is racist https://t.co/7n09qYD248
— Joel Pavelski (@joelcifer) February 2, 2018
Hey @hqtrivia we don't support those who invest in hate #DeleteHQ #boybye
— Kate Gustafson (@kategus17) February 3, 2018
It's also been reported that the app had trouble securing investors after founder Colin Kroll's alleged behaviour toward women in the workplace and how he managed people while he worked at Twitter. No complaints were ever submitted against Kroll.
But many people who have criticised the app's decision to use Thiel as an investor should probably take into account that Thiel's Founder Fund also invests in a bunch of other things too... Facebook, Paypal, Spotify, Lyft and AirBnb to name a few.
Being a righteous internet user is more of a pain than just giving up that trivia app you're not really playing anymore, anyway #deleteHQ https://t.co/1lfs1sMlU0 pic.twitter.com/mFehT23Gns
— Joshua Brustein (@joshuabrustein) February 2, 2018
Are you really going to delete Facebook and Spotify too, knowing that Thiel's company is an investor? No, of course you're not. And let's face it, this news isn't going to dent HQ Trivia's immense popularity. There was over 1.5m players online during the $20,000 game during the Superbowl half-time show. The only thing that's gonna kill HQ Trivia is sites like HQuack, where you can cheat your way to the cash prize.
But if you're still reaaaaally pressed with this piece of information, at least you can play the quiz, win the money and donate it to nice liberal organisation in his name. Or go out and enjoy lovely liberal things with your lovely liberal friends and support the free-press with the money you just won from Thiel's pocket. Stay petty. Stay savage.
