Snapchat CEO: I Never Said India Too Poor For App

(RTTNews) - Snap Inc., the owner of messaging service Snapchat, denies the allegations that its Chief Executive Officer Evan Spiegel said the popular social media app is "only for rich people" and called India a "poor" country.

Anthony Pompliano, an ex-employee of Snapchat, alleged that CEO Evan Spiegel had once dismissed his suggestion to pursue growth in certain international markets. According to Pompliano, Spiegel said Snapchat is "only for rich people" and that he didn't want to "expand into poor countries like India and Spain."

The claims were found when documents were made public from a lawsuit filed by Pompliano against Snap. Pompliano was fired in 2015 after only three weeks at the company.

"Obviously Snapchat is for everyone! It's available worldwide to download for free," a spokesperson said in a statement. "Those words were written by a disgruntled former employee. We are grateful for our Snapchat community in India and around the world."

The Los Angeles-based company called the allegations as "ridiculous."

However, reports about the comments created an uproar on social media in India, with many users on Twitter campaigning to boycott Snapchat.