People are flocking to #DeleteHQ after news of Peter Thiel funding

Players of the widely popular trivia app HQ are displeased with the news that the app’s next round of funding may come from Founders Fund, a venture firm founded by billionaire Peter Thiel. Recode reported the news yesterday; today, the hashtag #DeleteHQ has started trending as users are speaking out against plans to raise money with Thiel’s company.

Trivia app HQ has enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity since its launch, including a milestone of 1 million players just last month and a launch in the UK. Despite its popularity, however, its creators have had trouble pulling in investor money, largely due to claims of unsavory behavior on the part of HQ co-founder Colin Kroll. According to Recode, the company plans to pull money in through a new round of financing; Founders Fund would lead that round with $15 million.

But the company’s decision to hop in bed with Thiel — also known as the man who bankrolled the infamous legal fight that led to the end of Gawker — isn’t winning it any affection with players. “Peter Thiel is a blight on this world,” tweeted one user with the hashtag. “Just deleted HQ Trivia on news of Peter Thiel investment. #DeleteHQ.” said another.

This kind of sentiment can be found across Twitter, but it’s doubtful the news will have a noticeable impact on HQ’s playerbase. After all, despite big pushes and social rallying to action for users to boycott companies like Uber, Uber still exists. When and if the app does finally take a turn, it’s far more likely it’ll be because the app isn’t all that fun anymore.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/2/16965716/delete-hq-founders-fund-pete-thiel