Thread by @nandoodles

CONFIRMED: @Cloudflare is protecting the Proud Boys’ website.

Let’s talk about CEO @eastdakota, whose MO is being a “free speech absolutist” until he cracks under public pressure — and he always does.

After The Daily Stormer/Andrew Anglin published an article glorifying the death of Heather Heyer, @Google and @GoDaddy dropped his hosting immediately. He then went straight to @Cloudflare, which is a *big defender* of "free speech" no matter what.

So we went after him HARD.

Someone had just *died* but @Cloudflare stayed silent. Then on August 15th - 3 days after the rally - they released this statement saying they planned to keep serving The Daily Stormer.

I can only imagine the amount of pressure @eastdakota faced over the next 24 hours...

...because the next day, @Cloudflare dropped The Daily Stormer. Why? Because Matthew was in a bad mood that day. Guess it's all about free speech until the pressure gets under your skin.

(FYI this is lifted from a talk I give on how not to do corp crisis comms.)

One year later, a shooter posted his diatribe on 8chan before heading to attack the mosque in Christchurch. Once again, we went hard after @eastdakota to stop protecting 8Chan.

In response, he told @juliacarriew he wished he had a "magic wand." A fucking wand.

Less than 24 hours later - I'm guessing after investors called and told him to shut it down - he flipped like a pancake.

This isn't leadership. It's a CEO who keeps learning the hard way he's not living out some libertarian fever dream. In the real world, we hold you accountable

I have no doubt in my mind @eastdakota is waiting for someone to die again before he quits protecting the Proud Boys. Do not let him.

If he says a protector of free speech, remind him he is not. He is just another CEO beholden to his investors — and he will crack again.

*and either afraid or unable to handle the PR fallout of his own shitty decision-making, I might add.