Thread by @VanityFair

In April 2021, the CEO of Pornhub's new mansion went up in flames. With no shortage of possible suspects—activists, evangelicals, and victims of revenge porn—@adamgollner investigates the incident and speaks with the site's shadowy owners. vntyfr.com/IYEc4x3

Pornhub is among the most viewed websites in the world—more Americans use it than use Twitter or Netflix. Its co-owners, Feras Antoon and David Tassillo, took control of the site in 2012 after a management buyout and created MindGeek, its parent company. vntyfr.com/jjqzbfV

While the company's valuation isn’t clear, Antoon has been spotted in Ferraris and Lamborghinis with vanity plates like MRCEO, and last year, he was nearing completion on a 21-room mega-mansion on Montreal's so-called Mafia Row. vntyfr.com/voM6i6l

In December 2020, a series of legal and P.R. scandals hit the company, including Canadian senators and MPs calling for a criminal investigation following a New York Times exposé that accused the firm of knowingly hosting illegal content. vntyfr.com/S9n9EzI

Then one night in April 2021, a CCTV feed from Antoon's unfinished mansion showed two trespassers on the premises. Before long, the property was in flames.

🔗: vntyfr.com/TBfKwDD

Everyone had a theory: It was the mob, or anti-pornography crusaders, or the father of an underage victim getting revenge. “Whoever did it," says retired lieutenant detective Pietro Poletti, "knew what the hell they were doing.”

🔗: vntyfr.com/UVXRa5g

Whatever the cause, the inferno was searingly symbolic. @adamgollner investigates the ashes of the inferno, and speaks with adult industry advocates and Pornhub's owners about the ongoing war against online porn. Read the full story: vntyfr.com/l1LNbpD