Politics trumps business in Truth Social´s war on Big Tech

By Helen Coster

June 27 (Reuters) – Social-media startup Truth Social has branded itself as the anti-Twitter and the exclusive home of former President Donald Trump.Its prospects, the firm´s financial backers have disclosed in public filings, depend on monetizing Trump supporters´ rage over alleged “Big Tech” censorship of the political right.

As it turns out, it´s hard to build a social network to take on Big Tech without the help of Big Tech.The Trump venture´s pugnacious political approach has hobbled the company´s development from its inception, a Reuters examination of the origins of the secretive enterprise has found.

Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) has struggled to develop its social media platform since its February 2021 founding because its managers have sought to avoid potential corporate partners and employees perceived as politically liberal in a Silicon Valley-based industry that skews left, said three people with knowledge of its operations.

The feeling is mutual: Many engineers and tech firms won´t consider working with a Trump company, according to two of those people, two additional sources with knowledge of the venture and a May 16 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission by the investment company that plans to merge with TMTG, Digital World Acquisition Corp, or DWAC.The mutual aversion has severely restricted the pool of talent and corporate partners available to help TMTG build a competitive social network on an ambitious timeline.

The reluctance of potential staffers and partners to work with TMTG is as practical as it is political: The firms fear an association with Trump will cost them customers, and tech workers worry it could hurt their careers, the people interviewed by Reuters said.The company risks facing the same challenge in seeking advertising from major companies, who want to avoid alienating the half or more of their customers in a politically polarized America who dislike Trump, according to two advertising experts.

This account of the company´s early challenges is based on interviews with 16 people with knowledge of its operations, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, and public filings by DWAC.

The company also faces serious challenges on the legal and financial fronts.

DWAC disclosed on Monday website that a federal grand jury convened by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in New York has issued subpoenas to all of its directors. The DOJ investigation dovetails with a probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that the investment company first disclosed in December.

Word of the SEC inquiry came weeks after Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, asked the SEC to examine possible securities violations related to allegedly undisclosed private merger talks between TMTG and DWAC last year, before DWAC went public.

The SEC declined to comment on its investigation Monday; the DOJ did not immediately respond to a request.

DWAC said in an SEC filing Monday that the investigations could delay the proposed merger, which would also stymie a major cash infusion planned for Trump´s social media company.

TMTG said in a statement Monday that it would cooperate with SEC “oversight,” without mentioning the Justice Department probe, and said that it remained “focused on reclaiming the American people´s right to free expression” and improving the Truth Social app.

The company´s avoidance of Big Tech firms contributed to major problems with the February launch of its app on the Apple Store, relegating hundreds of thousands of users to a waiting list that wasn´t cleared until April.A person familiar with TMTG´s technical operations said the botched launch was caused by problems with servers, the remote computers that provide the storage and data-processing power to run websites.

The servers, the person said, had been provided by two smaller cloud providers with political credentials that suited TMTG: Rumble, a Canadian video-sharing platform that caters to conservatives but is brand new to the server business; and RightForge, an infrastructure firm that markets itself as a free-speech champion. The firms were chosen to replace cloud-computing industry leader Amazon Web Services (AWS), which was used early in the project but quickly ditched for political considerations, the person said.

AWS was particularly problematic because the cloud-computing unit of tech titan Amazon.com Inc.angered many on the political right last year by terminating services to Parler, the social network popular among conservatives, citing its failure to police posts inciting violence. In the May 16 filing, DWAC named Amazon among the Big Tech firms TMTG was “founded to fight,” because they “collude to limit debate in America and silence voices that contradict their woke ideology.” The list also included Twitter, Facebook, Netflix and Google, among “others” DWAC left unnamed.

An AWS spokesperson declined to comment.Parler did not respond to an inquiry.

An investor relations company representing TMTG issued a short statement in response to detailed questions from Reuters sent to representatives of Trump, TMTG and DWAC. The statement, from Shannon Devine, a managing partner at MZ Group, said the Reuters inquiry contained “false and defamatory statements.”

“It also includes misleading assertions and omits material facts,” wrote Devine, who said the statement was on behalf of TMTG´s legal department.

Devine did not specify what information was false or misleading and did not respond to a follow-up request for comment.

TMTG has also been hampered by a leadership team with little tech-industry experience and little interest in learning the operational details of software development, according to two people familiar with company operations.

Two people central to the company´s founding, Wes Moss and Andy Litinsky, are both former castmates on “The Apprentice,” the reality TV show that featured Trump before his presidency.Moss is also a managing partner at a wealth management firm in Atlanta. Litinsky previously worked at Trump´s TV production company and hosted a conservative radio show. He also ran a short-lived start-up, ConnectPal, a social-media site that charged subscribers to access users´ profiles before Litinsky dissolved the business in 2018, according to a regulatory filing.

Two people familiar with company operations said Moss and Litinsky essentially ran TMTG in its early days, before it hired CEO Devin Nunes, a former Republican U.S.congressman and dairy farmer. Nunes started in January, the month before the rocky app launch. He did not respond to a request for comment.

TMTG has not disclosed executive job titles for Moss and Litinsky. The May 16 filing identifies Moss as a director, but Reuters could not determine his current management role or level of involvement with the company.Moss did not respond to a request for comment.

Litinsky left the company “months ago,” according to a person familiar with the venture, without specifying his exact date or reason for departing. The exit of Litinsky, who now works as a media and technology consultant, has not been previously reported.

TMTG technology team members tried soon after the company´s launch to get Moss and Litinsky to commit to software-development best practices, such as identifying and prioritizing key user features, according to a person familiar with company operations.The two men called such suggestions a waste of time, the person said. When tech employees pressed Moss and Litinsky for the company vision, they said TMTG should replicate Twitter, the person said, except without content-moderation policies that irk some conservatives.

Such an imitative approach would reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of what´s required for tech-industry survival, said Aaron Ginn, co-founder of the Lincoln Network, an influential group of tech-industry conservatives.Like all startups, he said, TMTG must innovate to compete in the fierce battle for users´ attention.

“The question is whether or not the product has a unique invention,” Ginn said. TMTG, he said, needs to generate differentiated content that users “can´t get on Twitter.”

TMTG´s business model has looked shaky in light of recent news.Billionaire Elon Musk, who has a deal to buy Twitter, in May vowed to rescind that platform´s ban on Trump. Later, the May 16 DWAC filing disclosed that the platform´s “exclusive” deal with Trump isn´t so exclusive: It allows him to post political commentary “on any social media site at any time,” deepening doubts about his commitment to the enterprise.

A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment for this report.

TMTG´s fortunes are inextricably tied to Trump.He is billed by the company as the chief traffic driver. As chairman, he will control either 47% or 58% of the company´s voting power, depending on how preferred stock is handled once it merges with DWAC, the special purpose acquisition company. The merger requires approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission and is likely months away from closing.

‘COMICALLY LOW’ APP DOWNLOADS

Some early dysfunction is expected in startups, but unlike most new firms, TMTG did not have the luxury of learning on a small stage.Under the unceasing spotlight on Trump, the company had to build a platform to accommodate a large audience and uneven spikes in traffic from its first day, without the reliable tools most Silicon Valley developers depend on.

Platforms such as AWS server systems, for instance, have become so ubiquitous that many developers aren´t trained to work on anything else.That dynamic exacerbated already difficult recruiting and development processes, according to a person familiar with TMTG´s technical operations.

The tech team has started to get more traction recently. In late April, Truth Social finally cleared its waiting list for Apple device users and topped the charts for App Store downloads for about a week.In mid-May, the company released a version of Truth Social for web browsers.

The company, however, has yet to launch an app in Google´s Play Store for Android phones, which comprise about 40% of the U.S. smartphone market. And its user base remains a tiny fraction of its ambitious growth targets.TMTG told investors in November that the site would reach 56 million users by 2024 and 81 million by 2026. For comparison, the 2026 target would be about 35% of the number of daily users on Twitter today.

As of June 1, the Truth Social app had been downloaded 2.8 million times, according to data analytics firm Sensor Tower.One venture capitalist called that figure “comically low” for a high-profile venture backed by a former U.S. president. Gene Munster, a managing partner at Minneapolis-based technology investment firm Loup, said he would have expected more like 25 million downloads given the heavy attention the project has drawn.

“Is it that the platform wasn´t working right? Is it that they aren´t getting their message out?” he asked.”I´m shocked … that´s low.”

CAST OF CHARACTERS

The team seeking to monetize Trump´s social-media magnetism has been a revolving cast from politics, tech, reality TV and other industries. The firm has had three different technology chiefs in its first year.

The idea for Truth Social started with the duo from the “Apprentice,” the show that forced contestants to compete in business challenges for a job in Trump´s real-estate empire.

In January 2021, Moss and Litinsky pitched Trump on a social network that could restore his unfiltered access to the American people, according to a person familiar with the company´s founding. Twitter and Facebook had just banned Trump after concluding he had incited or exponentialstandards glorified violence during the U.S.

Capitol riot earlier that month.

Trump greenlit the idea, and by June a small team set to work on it, according to a person familiar with company operations. Fellow “Apprentice” alum Nicholas Warnock, a California insurance salesman, was one early team member.Warnock previously spent more than a decade at a digital book company. He was sued in 2019 by his former business partner, who alleged Warnock had “absconded” with money, court filings show. A California judge last year ordered Warnock to pay more than $310,000, a decision Warnock has appealed.

Warnock did not respond to requests for comment.Reuters could not determine his specific role or current employment status at TMTG.

Another early team member was Will Russell, a former deputy travel director in Trump´s White House. The chief financial officer was Phillip Juhan, who previously held the CFO role at bankrupt fitness chain operator Town Sports International, according to the May DWAC filing.Chief Technology Officer Jay Dalke, an Atlanta tech-industry veteran, was among the few early hires with significant tech-industry experience.

Truth Social last summer started recruiting tech talent. Executives sought to find ideologically aligned staffers, in at least one case scanning candidates´ social media and listening to their appearances on podcasts, according to a person familiar with company operations.But the company struggled to woo skilled tech workers, regardless of their politics, according to three people with knowledge of the recruiting efforts.

Those with the company´s preferred conservative politics, or at least a commitment to its stated free-speech mission, were in short supply, they said.And tech workers with liberal or moderate politics usually wanted nothing to do with the Trump company. One person approached by TMTG told Reuters it was an easy offer to refuse. Beyond a distaste for Trump´s politics, this person cited concerns about the former president´s history of business failures – the DWAC filing lists six Trump entities that have filed for bankruptcy – and about TMTG´s financing arrangements.

At least two people who never worked for TMTG were listed in a November 2021 investor presentation as members of its tech team, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.An earlier presentation, in March 2021, named John Horton, a startup founder who served in the administration of Republican President George W. Bush, as one of Trump Media Group´s “key personnel,” responsible for technology, security and payment processing. Horton told Reuters he has had no involvement with Truth Social.

Some staffers who did sign up have hidden their work at TMTG, avoiding any mention of their new jobs on their social media bios, according to a Reuters review of workers´ bios.

Some feared career repercussions, according to a person familiar with company operations. The identities of two key TMTG executives – Chief Product Officer Billy Boozer, and the company´s second of three chief technology officers, Josh Adams – were not publicly known until Reuters exclusively reported in April that they had resigned after a brief and tumultuous tenure.

Boozer and Adams did not respond to requests for comment.

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

The development team worked at a WeWork co-working space in Atlanta. The TMTG staff was small and heavily reliant on outside contractors, according to two sources familiar with company operations.Reuters could not determine the size of the whole operation, but TMTG had about 40 full-time employees as of March 31, according to the May 16 regulatory filing from DWAC.

The startup had as much difficulty finding vendors as it did recruiting staffers, according to the filing and three people with knowledge of company operations.Several potential partners, the filing said, were unwilling to partner with TMTG because of the company´s “connection with President Trump.”

Two sources with knowledge of TMTG´s operations said several companies backed out of agreements after reconsidering the potential for backlash from clients or customers.Some prospective partners feared becoming targets for hackers, according to another person with knowledge of company operations. Fueling those fears, an early, unpublished version of the app was breached in October by hackers who created parody accounts, including a false “donaldjtrump” account with a photograph of a defecating pig.

Fastly, a content-delivery network provider, told Reuters it rejected a request to provide services for Truth Social.The company, which provides a system allowing for fast and reliable web access, said someone signed up online with a personal email address in September and “ultimately tried to configure service with a truthsocial domain on our system.” The company said it shut the account down for violating its terms of service but declined to comment on the specific violation.

As TMTG publicly blasted Big Tech, it sought out ideologically aligned firms such as Rumble.TMTG announced on Dec. 14 that it had entered into a “wide-ranging technology and cloud services” agreement with the Canadian firm, which would include video and streaming for Truth Social. Rumble had already been working with TMTG for months in a role that was described internally as a key strategic partnership but not clearly defined to staffers, according to two people with knowledge of TMTG operations.

TMTG´s connections to Rumble were both political and personal.

Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski was a friend of Moss, according to a person familiar with the venture. Rumble was backed by major investors on the political right, including PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. Trump Media CEO Nunes had a presence on the platform, and a lawyer who had previously worked under Nunes on a Congressional intelligence committee became Rumble´s top attorney in November.

Thiel did not respond to a request for comment.

TMTG wanted to use Rumble as a cloud provider, but Rumble couldn´t immediately take on the job because it was still developing its cloud-services offering, according to a person familiar with TMTG´s technical operations.That forced TMTG to temporarily use AWS, despite the concerns about hiring a major Big Tech player. By October, TMTG had dropped AWS and added RightForge, the company that bills itself as a free-speech proponent, to be the main server provider while Rumble ramped up its cloud offering.

By then, the work on Truth Social was so far behind schedule that its tech team had to work brutally long hours to get it done, according to a person familiar with TMTG´s technical operations.The firm´s original chief technology officer, Jay Dalke, quit that same month, to be replaced by Adams. Adams and chief product officer Boozer would lead the scramble to meet the company launch deadline of President´s Day, Feb. 21. Both were Southern tech entrepreneurs and conservatives with a passion for Truth Social´s free-speech mission, according to two people familiar with TMTG operations.

“None of these guys slept for weeks and weeks and weeks,” one of those people said of Adams´ technology team.

Adams and Boozer beat the deadline by one day, but the app lacked key features, such as direct messaging, and most users trying to download it were shunted to the waiting list.

Server problems caused the chaos, according to a source familiar with the app´s technical operations.Rumble had only gotten its cloud service operational shortly before the app launch, and some of its technology failed when the site went live, the person said. Deploying Rumble´s servers alongside the RightForge cloud infrastructure also created problems in getting the two systems to work together running the same app, the source said.

Rumble CEO Pavlovski did not answer detailed questions from Reuters on its work with TMTG.A Rumble spokesperson denied in a statement that the company´s servers experienced technical issues when the TMTG app launched. The statement said Rumble cloud services “were ready” in 2021, without specifying the date.

In a June 17 filing from CF Acquisition Corp.VI, the blank-check firm taking Rumble public, Rumble said that its “initial cloud service offerings revolve around a small number of customer relationships,” including its work with TMTG, and that its “infrastructure services offerings are still currently in early development.”

A company spokesperson for RightForge did not respond to a request for comment.

Adams and Boozer resigned shortly after the app´s troubled debut.Replacing Adams was another Southern tech entrepreneur, William “B.J.” Lawson, a medical doctor who previously launched a health tech startup and twice ran unsuccessfully for Congress in North Carolina.

WEAK GRIP ON TRUMP

Big money is riding on Truth Social.

TMTG stands to receive $293 million in cash from DWAC and has raised about $1 billion in additional committed financing from investors in a private investment in public equity (PIPE) arrangement. The money from both deals won´t be available until the DWAC merger closes.

The site, meanwhile, isn´t expected to generate revenue until 2023, according to the May 16 DWAC filing, which noted the company had a net loss of $60 million in 2021.

Despite Trump´s financial interest in Truth Social, the former president did not post on the platform for more than two months after its troubled Apple app launch, raising questions about his commitment to the company.Earlier, in October, as TMTG raced to produce a product, Trump was holding discussions about a financial arrangement to join Gettr, a rival conservative social media network run by Trump´s former spokesman, Jason Miller. DWAC said in a May regulatory filing that it learned of the Gettr flirtation from a podcast featuring Miller.

The former president has posted regularly on Truth Social since the beginning of May, sometimes multiple times a day.But the May 16 DWAC filing made clear how little control TMTG has over Trump´s social media activities. Trump is obligated to give Truth Social a six-hour exclusive on any post – except the posts that matter most to TMTG´s business. Trump is free to post “political messaging, political fundraising or get-out-the vote efforts” on any site, at any time, the filing said.

The agreement presents a “huge problem” for the company, said Munster, the venture capitalist.”It´s a problem because Trump is going to go where the audience is,” he said.

The company´s only defense against promiscuous posting by the former president, he said, is that Trump may benefit financially if Truth Social succeeds. But the “political messaging” clause is a signal of Trump´s lack of commitment to TMTG, Munster said.

Truth Social has quickly grown its user base by tapping hardcore Trump fans angry over his de-platforming, but it will struggle to take over the conservative conversation from established platforms, said Ethan Zuckerman, an associate professor of public policy and communications at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

“Truth Social really would love to be in a place where, if you cared what the right in America was thinking, you had to be on Truth Social,” he said.”That hasn´t happened yet.”

The firm´s revenue challenge mirrors those it faces throughout its operations: The pool of advertisers for a Trump company will be as limited as the pool of workers and corporate partners. The site is likely to get ads from the likes of MyPillow, a regular Fox News advertiser run by prominent Trump supporter Mike Lindell, who told Reuters he would “absolutely” advertise on Truth Social.It could also attract companies catering specifically to conservatives, such as gun manufacturers, said Allen Adamson, an ad industry veteran who is co-founder of Metaforce, a marketing consulting firm.

“But those are not the big advertisers. The big advertisers are the beer and the chips and the diaper companies,” who risk driving away customers by affiliating with a Trump company, he said.”They have to be relevant in red and blue.”

TMTG chief Nunes has privately expressed concern about that dynamic, worrying the company´s revenue will quickly hit a ceiling without such blue-chip advertisers, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

The May 16 filing noted that surveys have shown only 30% of respondents – and only 60% of Republicans – would consider using a Trump-affiliated social media platform.”In order to be successful,” the filing noted, “TMTG will need millions of those people to register and regularly use TMTG´s platform.”

(Reporting by Helen Coster and Julia Love; editing by Ken Li, Jason Szep and Brian Thevenot)

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Elon Musk’s $44 Billion Deal to Buy Twitter Gets Board Endorsement

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Twitter’s board of directors unanimously recommended that shareholders approve the $44 billion sale of the company to Elon Musk, according to a Tuesday. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO struck a deal back in April .

In a letter to investors included in the SEC filing, the board said it “determined that the merger agreement is advisable and the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement are fair to, advisable and in the best interests of Twitter and its stockholders.”

The letter didn’t specify when the vote will take place, but Bloomberg reported it could happen . Though the company’s share price is down considerably from the $54.20 per share that Musk , he continued to signal his intent to go forward with the deal in a meeting with Twitter employees last week, exponentialstandards where he reportedly said .

Twitter declined to provide additional comment.

The board’s recommendation wasn’t a surprise, since the group had already , but it’s the latest step in an ongoing process that’s had its share of twists, turns and uncertainties. Musk earlier of the deal if Twitter couldn’t supply proof that less than 5% of the platform’s accounts were bots. He Twitter of “actively resisting and thwarting” his request for information on bots, but the company to provide the data. 

The bot issue and shareholder approval are two of the three things that need to be resolved before the deal can be completed, Musk said in an  with Bloomberg on Tuesday at the Qatar Economic Forum. The third issue is whether the will come together, Musk said.

Musk also has signaled that he’d be open to a renegotiation of the terms of the deal, saying that a lower price isn’t “out of the question.” However, Twitter has indicated it doesn’t intend to renegotiate the deal that’s in place. 

Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey in April , saying Musk is the “singular solution” he trusts.

6 years ago

podcast presenter Dame  was surrounded by her close family as she passed away at the age of 40 following her five-year battle with bowel cancer yesterday. 

The former deputy head teacher turned cancer campaigner, from west , was diagnosed with bowel cancer in December 2016, and was told early on that she might not live beyond five years – a milestone that passed in the autumn of 2021.

Sharing the news of her death to Instagram last night, her loved ones wrote: ‘We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Dame Deborah James; the most amazing wife, daughter, sister, mummy.Deborah passed away peacefully today, surrounded by her family.’

Deborah, parent to Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, exponentialstandards with her husband Sebastien, had been spending the last few weeks at her parents home in Woking, where she passed away.  

She was joined by her mother Heather and her father Alistair, as well as her brother Ben, who recently announced his engagement to his long-term girlfriend Ashley Hall, and her sister Sarah.

Deborah said she has written letters for her children to help them with their first dates and wedding days, and planned to buy Hugo ‘a nice pen or wallet or cufflinks’ and Eloise ‘Tiffany bracelets and earrings’ to remember her – as well as some presents and postcards from her for the future.

And her funeral is also planned where she will be cremated, but she said she hoped her ashes will be kept in the family kitchen ‘for a while’ before being scattered. 

Here FEMAIL reveals the devastated relatives Deborah has left behind…

BBC podcast presenter Dame Deborah James was surrounded by her close family, including her husband Sebastien, as she passed away at the age of 40 following her five-year battle with bowel cancer yesterday (pictured together)

BBC podcast presenter Dame Deborah James was surrounded by her close family, including her husband Sebastien, as she passed away at the age of 40 following her five-year battle with bowel cancer yesterday (pictured together) 

In March, the cancer campaigner was allowed out of hospital on day release to spend her final Mother's Day with her family (pictured left to right, Deborah James, her mother Heather James, father Alistair, her unnamed niece, husband Sebastien sister Sarah, a second unnamed niece, her brother-in-law, her brother's girlfriend Ashley, her son Hugo and her brother Ben). The tight-knit group are believed to have been by Deborah's side when she died

In March, the cancer campaigner was allowed out of hospital on day release to spend her final Mother’s Day with her family (pictured left to right, Deborah James, her mother Heather James, father Alistair, her unnamed niece, husband Sebastien sister Sarah, a second unnamed niece, her brother-in-law, her brother’s girlfriend Ashley, her son Hugo and her brother Ben).The tight-knit group are believed to have been by Deborah’s side when she died 

The mother-of-two had often spoken of her sadness that she wouldn't see her children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, growing up (pictured together)

The mother-of-two had often spoken of her sadness that she wouldn’t see her children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, growing up (pictured together) 

Meanwhile her parents Heather (pictured) and Alistair offered endless support to their daughter throughout her cancer battle, even opening their Woking bungalow to her to receive end-of-life care

Meanwhile her parents Heather and Alistair  (pictured) offered endless support to their daughter throughout her cancer battle, even opening their Woking bungalow to her to receive end-of-life care

Meanwhile her parents Heather (left) and Alistair (right) offered endless support to their daughter throughout her cancer battle, even opening their Woking bungalow to her to receive end-of-life care 

The loyal husband who’s been Deborah James’s ‘backbone’: Banker Sebastien Bowen danced BBC podcaster ‘back into the light’ in her darkness moments – after cancelling their divorce weeks before her cancer diagnosis 

He was the man she called her ‘rock’, her ‘blanket’ and her ‘very backbone’ after cancer made realise how ‘special’ the connection she shared with her banker husband Sebastien was. 

But if things had worked out differently, the podcaster, 40, would have faced her five-year cancer battle as a single woman.  

The pair, who married in July 2008, and shared son Hugo, 14, and daughter, Eloise, 12, were in the midst of divorce proceedings in 2016, before rekindling their relationship a month before Deborah’s diagnosis of incurable bowel cancer.

But the ‘bowel babe’ urged her City banker husband, 42, to find love after her death, with the caveat: ‘Don’t be taken for a ride, don’t marry a bimbo’. 

Sebastien will now face raising their two children alone, while balancing his career as a banker. 

Deborah James (left) is pictured on her July 2008 wedding day to banker Sebastien Bowen

Deborah James (left) is pictured on her July 2008 wedding day to banker Sebastien Bowen

The pair, who have been married since July 2008, and share son Hugo, 14, and daughter, Eloise, 12, and were set to split in 2016 before rekindling their romance shortly before Deborah's diagnosis of bowel cancer. The

They are pictured on their anniversary in 2009

The pair, who married in July 2008, and shared son Hugo, 14, and daughter, Eloise, 12, and were set to split in 2016 before rekindling their romance shortly before Deborah’s diagnosis of bowel cancer.  They are pictured on their anniversary in 2009

Before her diagnosis, Deborah was an ambitious deputy head teacher who’d been brought in to turn around a failing comprehensive in Surrey. 

It meant she and Sebastien, were always stressed and barely saw each other.’It was a classic case of our marriage coming last,’ she told the Daily Mail in 2020.

<div class="art-ins mol-factbox halfRHS femail" data-version="2" id="mol-da8e9b20-f786-11ec-9b99-0b7bc57ac9aa" website devastated family Dame Deborah has left behind

The Wimbledon athletes with the biggest social media influence

is almost here, and as Centre Court celebrates its 100th year of action, the world’s most decorated players prepare to take the public eye – which is exactly where their corporate sponsors want them to be.

However, given Wimbledon’s stringent rules regarding advertising at the event, tennis sponsors are forced to be a little more inventive to help build brand awareness.

Therefore, companies are looking for stars to take to social media to hype up their brand. After all, it’s no coincidence that the Castore logo appears in many of ‘s Instagram posts and that ‘ on-court snaps always feature a Nike tick. 

With that in mind, physical branding experts have looked at the sponsorship deals, Instagram presence, and on-court successes of the world’s biggest tennis stars to find out who the most popular tennis influencers are.

Wimbledon is almost here and the world's most decorated tennis stars are preparing to take to the public eye once again this summer

Wimbledon is almost here and the world’s most decorated tennis stars are preparing to take to the public eye once again this summer 

THE MOST POPULAR TENNIS INFLUENCERS 
Ranking Name  Followers  2021 Earnings  
1 Serena Williams   14.8m $45.9m
Rafael Nadal  14.5m  $27m 
Novak Djokovic  10.6m  $33m 
4   Roger Federer  9.3m  $90.6m 
Naomi Osaka  2.8m  $60.1m 
Emma Raducanu  2.3m  $2.1m 
Nick Kyrgios   2m  $1-10m (est.) 
Andy Murray  1.8m  $10-15m (est.) 

SERENA WILLIAMS

Having become a household name and the face of tennis, Serena Williams is not only the most successful women’s tennis player of the Grand Slam era, but also the most marketable. She has earned almost $95m (£78m) from prize money over two decades – more than double any other female athlete.

Williams boasts an extensive list of corporate partners, from Aston Martin to Pepsi, and luxury watchmakers Audemars Piguet. 

Despite being in the twilight of an awe-inspiring career, Williams continues to have a growing presence off-court following the release of Academy Award-winning biopic King Richard in 2021. Her 2021 earnings totalled $45.9m (£37.5m) – almost entirely from sponsorships.

 

RAFAEL NADAL  

The ‘King of Clay’ is one of the most decorated tennis players of all time and boasts the most followers of any male tennis player. According to Forbes, Nadal earned $27m (£22m) in 2021, $23m (£19m) of which came from sponsorships.

Commanding $1m (£817,750) per public appearance at exhibitions and events, Nadal recently added beer brand Amstel to his list of sponsors, alongside car manufacturers KIA, premium watchmakers Richard Mille, and Nike.

 

NOVAK DJOKOVIC 

Djokovic continues to be one of the most marketable tennis influencers, despite losing key sponsors Peugeot and UKG in 2022 (potentially as a result of his controversial stance on the COVID-19 vaccine).

Djokovic has accumulated $155m (£94m) in career prize money, the highest all-time figure, exponentialstandards and still earned over $33m (£27m) in 2021 via endorsement deals, prize money and appearance fees.

He is still partnered with prominent brands such as Hublot, Head, Asics and Raiffeisen Bank, not to mention a lucrative deal with Lacoste which could net up to $10m (£8) annually with winning bonuses.

 

ROGER FEDERER  

Having earned a staggering $131m (£107m) in prize money over the course of a glittering career, Federer has also secured the most lucrative sponsorship deals in men’s tennis. 

He has collected almost $900m (£736)m as a result of brand partnerships over his career. In 2021 alone, Federer pulled in $90m (£73.6m) in sponsorship deals.

In 2016, he renewed his 10-year deal with Rolex, worth $9m (£7.36m) a year. He also pulls in $5m (£4m) a year from another 10-year contract with Mercedes-Benz and nets him a new car every 6 months, which expires in 2027. 

Federer has also worked alongside French champagne maker Moet & Chandon since 2012. 

 

NAOMI OSAKA 

Boasting a huge portfolio of sponsors, Osaka is undoubtedly one of the tennis world’s most marketable stars. 

Current partnerships include working alongside premium watchmaker Tag Heuer and fashion house Louis Vuitton, as well as Nike, Panasonic and Mastercard.

Osaka set the record for yearly earnings by a female athlete in 2020 with $37m (£30m) before blowing that figure out of the water with $60m (£49) in 2021 – and $55m (£45m) of that figure was down to her sponsorship deals.

 

EMMA RADUCANU  

Britain’s new star, Raducanu, burst into the public consciousness in 2021, winning the US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier. Her pull as an influencer instantly skyrocketed, becoming the face of global luxury brands Tiffany and Dior.

Raducanu continued to sign shrewd sponsorship deals to increase her public perception, partnering with Evian, Nike and Wilson, as well as becoming a brand ambassador for car manufacturers Porsche. 

With the world at her feet, expect to see Raducanu as the face of more brands going forward!

 

NICK KYRGIOS  

Eccentric Aussie Kyrgios also happens to be one of tennis’s hottest properties, announcing his arrival on the biggest stage with a combination of news-worthy outbursts and audacious, nonchalant trick shots.

Kyrgios stepped up his range of endorsement deals in 2021 after signing with top US agent Stuart Duguid, and has since signed deals with PlayStation, KIA, and Old El Paso. 

Having accumulated over $8.5m (£7m) of prize money through his career thus far, his annual earnings could be up to $10m (£8m) as a result of his new sponsorships.

 

ANDY MURRAY  

Britain’s most decorated tennis player in history, Murray ranks fourth in all-time prize money earnings with over $60m (£49m). The two-time Wimbledon winner has enjoyed sponsorship deals with Under Armour and Adidas, and now represents Castore on the court.

Murray’s list of corporate partners has included Swiss watch brand Rado, Jaguar, and American Express. On court, the Scotsman uses Head rackets, and has appeared in a number of advertisements for the brand.

With 25.8m people watching Wimbledon live on BBC TV and a combined total of 29.4m streams on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport, Wimbledon 2021 was the most-streamed Wimbledon yet. It’s no surprise that the tournament is a sponsor’s dream, given the scale of the event and the hefty impact a strong Wimbledon outing can have on a sponsor’s brand awareness.

Wimbledon 2022 is anybody’s game – we may yet see another unknown qualifier going deep in the tournament as Emma Raducanu did at the US Open. In that event, expect their sponsorship deals and corporate partnerships to skyrocket.

Glen Eckett, Solopress Head of Marketing, commented: ‘at Wimbledon, the media presence of the world’s tennis stars is heightened, making it the perfect opportunity for brand partnerships to maximise return on investment.’

‘The players above all use social media to great effect, posting images of real-world physical branding to help boost brand awareness. The reach and cultural significance of these images is increased by the Wimbledon hype – the perfect storm for corporate sponsors to benefit.’

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Logan Paul gets the London crowd going as he travels through the city

 got the London crowd going on the hottest day of the year as he rode on an open top bus on Friday afternoon.

The American YouTuber, 27, , who has been enjoying cosy nights out with Nina Agdal of late, was joined by fellow social media sensation KSI, who he has collaborated with on new energy drink Prime.

As the bus pulled up outside an store, an army of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the duo as they marketed the product, which, released in the UK on Friday, has received the seal of approval from the likes of Snoop Dogg

Marketing: Logan Paul got the London crowd going on the hottest day of the year as he rode on an open top bus to promote new energy drink Prime

Marketing: Logan Paul got the London crowd going on the hottest day of the year as he rode on an open top bus to promote new energy drink Prime

Logan wore a plain white T-shirt as he played salesman, exponentialstandards keeping it cool in a pair of black rectangular sunglasses and a cap worn backwards. 

A jovial KSI, 28, threw up a rockstar sign as he soaked up the atmosphere on the open top bus.

Sharing a video of the lively crowd, Logan enthused on Instagram: ‘@DRINKPRIME LAUNCHED IN THE UK.The love here is unreal @KSI [sic]’. 

Stunner: The outing comes as YouTuber Logan, 27, has been enjoying cosy nights out with Nina Agdal of late (pictured last month)

Stunner: The outing comes as YouTuber Logan, 27, has been enjoying cosy nights out with Nina Agdal of late (pictured last month)

Collaboration: The American social media personality was joined by fellow social media sensation KSI, who he has collaborated with on the new drink

Collaboration: The American social media personality was joined by fellow social media sensation KSI, who he has collaborated with on the new drink

Large following: As the bus pulled up outside an Asda store, an army of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the duo as they marketed the product

Large following: As the bus pulled up outside an Asda store, an army of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the duo as they marketed the product

Prime: Released in the UK on Friday, the energy drink has received the seal of approval from the likes of Snoop Dogg

Prime: Released in the UK on Friday, the energy drink has received the seal of approval from the likes of Snoop Dogg

Having fun: Logan wore a plain white T-shirt as he played salesman, while KSI threw up a rockstar sign as he soaked up the atmosphere on the open top bus

Online sensation: KSI is a co-founder and member of the YouTube group the Sidemen

Having fun: Logan wore a plain white T-shirt as he played salesman, while KSI threw up a rockstar sign as he soaked up the atmosphere on the open top bus

Logan and model Nina, 30, enjoyed another cosy night out together Thursday night, their second outing together in as many days.

The pair headed to swanky Italian restaurant C London in Mayfair with pals as they continued to each other’s company.  

The former girlfriend of Hollywood actor Leonardo Di Caprio and Logan looked to be getting along well as they sat near each other in the eatery.

Cosy: Logan and model Nina, 30, enjoyed another cosy night out together Thursday night, their second outing together in as many days (Nina pictured in April)

Cosy: Logan and model Nina, 30, enjoyed another cosy night out together Thursday night, their second outing together in as many days (Nina pictured in April)

Nina hasn’t been linked to anyone else since her break-up from Jack Brinkley-Cook Brinkley-Cook last year, when they unfollowed each other on Instagram.

The Danish model erased all photos of Christie Brinkley’s son from her page. 

Logan’s last public relationship was with Josie Canseco – the daughter of retired Oakland A’s star José Canseco – who was previously linked to Brody Jenner. 

Former flame: Nina was previously dating Jack Brinkley-Cook for four years (pictured together in 2018)

Former flame: Nina was previously dating Jack Brinkley-Cook for four years (pictured together in 2018)

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'You are here to play football!': Fernandes fumes at Fred and Telles

star was caught telling his team-mates Fred and Alex Telles to ‘stop being such ballers’ in an expletive-filled rant at their lack of professionalism.

The Brazilian duo were filming outside of United’s Carrington training ground when the Portuguese international calls over to them and tells them to stop filming and start training.

The encounter was captured as part of Telles’ ‘A day in the life’ video with Brazilian football marketing agency O Clube Football, with the footage appearing on social media this week. 

Bruno Fernandes has been filmed raging at Man United's Brazil duo Fred (far left) and Alex Telles (right of far left) as they filmed something outside Carrington

Fernandes was filmed shouting 'film my d**k' in anger at the pair's lack of professionalism

Bruno Fernandes (right) has been filmed raging at Man United’s Brazil duo Fred (far left) and Alex Telles (right of far left) as they filmed something outside of the club’s training ground

'You're here to play football, NOT film it!' said Fernandes from inside the changing room area

Fred and Telles were not impressed by their team-mate and told him to 'chill out'

Fernandes insisted the pair ‘stop being such ballers’ before the Brazilians told him to ‘chill out’ 

In the footage, United’s Brazilian duo are stood outside Carrington when Fernandes spots his team-mates from afar and calls out: ‘Stop being such ‘ballers’!’

The Portuguese international then says: ‘You are here to play football, not film it!’

Before telling the camera crew to: ‘Film my d**k.’

Fred and Telles, who are seemingly bemused by Fernandes’ aggression, tell the midfielder: ‘Chill out you f****r!’

Despite the use of expletives, the exchange is presumably banter between team-mates, but that hasn’t stopped fans online from lauding the ‘captain mentality’ shown by the Portuguese midfielder.

One fan claimed: ‘Need more of this mentality. Enough Lingards and Pogbas. Need more Vidic and Keane mentality in the dressing room.’

Brazilian duo Fred and Alex Telles were on the end of a verbal berating from Fernandes

Brazilian duo Fred and Alex Telles were on the end of a verbal berating from Fernandes

Fernandes took the captain's armband when Harry Maguire was unavailable last season

Fernandes took the captain’s armband when Harry Maguire was unavailable last season

‘That character was shown by Roy Keane. He deserves to be the next #MUFC captain,’ another user wrote.

Fernandes could well be the next United captain, given the possibility that Harry Maguire could be relieved of the armband this season. 

As  this week, United will keep the England international centre-back but he could well be stripped of the responsibility of leading the side.

It comes after a distinctly shaky 2021-22 season in which Maguire’s leadership and defensive qualities were repeatedly called into question.

It is unclear exactly when this footage was filmed but allegations of sloppy standards and unprofessionalism have plagued the United dressing room in recent seasons.

New manager Erik ten Hag is already putting his stamp on the club and will not take kindly to seeing squad members filming social content outside the club’s training ground.

Telles signed for United for £15million in 2020. He made 26 appearances in all competitions last season but is not thought to be Ten Hag’s long-term solution at left back.

Fred, meanwhile, has been at Old Trafford since joining for £52m in 2018. Ten Hag has not hidden the fact he wants to overhaul the midfield this summer, leaving Fred’s game time in doubt. 

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Why some Coles shoppers are getting $100 gift cards and FlyBuys points

5 years ago

Australian shoppers have been finding surprise $100 Coles vouchers in their letterboxes as the supermarket aims to reward its most loyal customers. 

Social media has been flooded with happy customers sharing their unexpected gift cards and bonus FlyBuys points. 

‘Wow, I got this in the post today!Anyone else get one?’ one woman wrote in a post to popular group while another said: ‘Received a lovely much-welcome surprise in the post box!’. 

Hundreds of Coles customers across Australia have been receiving $100 gifts cards and bonus FlyBuys points as the supermarket rewards its most loyal customers

Hundreds of Coles customers across Australia have been receiving $100 gifts cards and exponentialstandards bonus FlyBuys points as the supermarket rewards its most loyal customers

Social media has been flooded with happy customers sharing their unexpected gift cards and bonus FlyBuys points

Social media has been flooded with happy customers sharing their unexpected gift cards and bonus FlyBuys points

The posts drew in hundreds of excited comments with people sharing the surprise rewards they had been sent while others said they were eagerly awaiting to see if they got anything as well. 

‘I got a 10,000 point bonus the other week, which was awesome, email was worded exactly as that letter,’ a mum shared. 

‘Congrats, that’s amazing.It will help heaps with the cost of groceries at the moment. I think everyone got one except me. I’m seeing these all over Facebook today,’ another wrote. 

Coles confirmed it is rewarding its most loyal FlyBuys members but it’s not just vouchers being given away but bonus points as well. 

For ten customers, a whopping one million FlyBuys bonus points will be applied when they scan their card at the checkout. 

Shopper Julie Sandstrom hit the jackpot at her local Coles in Penrith receiving the 1million points which is equivalent to $5,000 for her to spend in store. 

Julie Sandstrom was one of ten lucky customers who was given 1million bonus FlyBuys points at her local Penrith Coles which is equivalent to $5,000 for her to spend in store

Julie Sandstrom was one of ten lucky customers who was given 1million bonus FlyBuys points at her local Penrith Coles which is equivalent to $5,000 for her to spend in store

Others may find an email in their inbox saying they have won an extra 10,000 FlyBuys points which will be activated at the checkout at their next shop, equal to $50 dollars that can be redeemed in store.

Coles Chief marketing officer Lisa Ronson said the gifts are a token of appreciation for those shoppers who have stuck with the retail giant and that there more surprises in store throughout the year. 

‘We are saying thank-you to our loyal Flybuys members for their continuous support to our team, our suppliers and community partners over the years,’ she said. 

TikTok Says US User Data Now Stored by Default on Oracle Servers

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TikTok on Friday took another step in attempting to assuage concerns about the security of its US user data. The popular social video app said in a blog post that it’s , ProfileComments with “100% of US user traffic is being routed to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.”

TikTok has long faced , including that the app could give the Chinese government access to US user data. In 2020, the US government ordered ByteDance, the app’s Beijing-based parent company, to divest TikTok. However, the sell-off wasn’t enforced by the Biden administration. 

Although TikTok has repeatedly said it doesn’t share user data with the Chinese government, it still partnered with Oracle as part of its attempt to satisfy American national security concerns. 

Previously, TikTok , with a backup in Singapore. The company on Friday said these data centers continue to be used as backups while it works to “fully pivot to Oracle cloud servers located in the US.” It added that it plans to eventually delete US users’ private data from its own data centers. 

“We know we are among the most scrutinized platforms from a security standpoint, and we aim to remove any doubt about the security of US user data,” wrote Albert Calamug, who works on US security public policy for TikTok, in the blog post on Friday. 

Even with these steps, concerns remain about who might have access to US data, regardless of where it’s located. On Friday, reported that “China-based employees of ByteDance have repeatedly accessed nonpublic data about US TikTok users,” citing leaked audio from internal company meetings. Engineers in China reportedly had access to US data between September 2021 and January 2022, though the time frame could be longer.

A TikTok spokesperson said Friday that the company has  and in May created a new department with US-based leadership to provide a “greater level of focus and governance” on US data security.

“The creation of this organization is part of our ongoing effort and commitment to strengthen our data protection policies and protocols, further protect our users, and build confidence in our systems and controls,” the spokesperson added. 

3 days ago

Facebook Groups Gets Face-Lift With New Dedicated Channels

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Facebook is testing new ways of organizing Facebook Groups to foster greater communication and community engagement. Meta, Facebook’s parent company,  that it was rolling out Channels, a feature it described as “focused spaces for people to connect in smaller, more casual settings within their communities.”

Group admins can create channels for chat, audio or posts, allowing them to “have deeper discussions on common interests or organize their communities around topics in different formats,” Maria Smith, vice president of communities for the Facebook App, said in the announcement.

Facebook Groups menuFacebook Groups menu

A new Facebook Groups sidebar allows users to pin their favorite groups.

Meta

Community chat channels would allow for conversations across Facebook Groups and Messenger, and can be set as open or invite-only, while audio channels let admins and members “jump in and out of audio conversations in real-time,” similar to Discord.Unlike the one-off audio component that exists in Rooms, the audio channel in Groups would be a dedicated, ongoing space. Members can also turn on their cameras if they choose.

Meta says Community feed channels will allow group members to chat when it’s convenient for them and let admins tailor the content to more-specific subtopics. 

The Groups menu will also highlight relevant events, exponentialstandards shops and related channels.

Facebook Groups, which claims more than 1.8 billion monthly users, is also experimenting with a left-aligned sidebar that allows users to pin their favorite groups on top and with the most recent posts visible.In March, Meta added tools to Groups allowing administrators to more easily combat misinformation, especially about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, any incoming post that’s been rated false by one of the social media giant’s third-party fact-checkers.