How Snapdeal Got Caught In The Backlash Against Snapchat

Snapchat is scrambling to control the damage caused by CEO Evan Spiegel's unverified comments in which he allegedly said the social networking app “is for rich people” and that he didn't want to expand to “poor countries like India”.

The remarks were allegedly made by Spiegel in a 2015 meeting, according to a complaint made by former Snap Inc. employee Anthony Pompliano. The company recently released the contents of that complaint in a public filing.

Pomliano is currently suing the company in a California court for trying to “destroy his career and reputation” after being fired from Snap.

Spiegel's remarks caused an uproar in India as users started uninstalling the Snapchat app. Hashtags such as #BoycottSnap and #UninstallSnapchat were trending on Twitter.

I was addicted to @Snapchat but I love my country more than this app. Let's see how you earn without Indians. @evanspiegel #boycottsnapchat

Many users gave it one star on the Apple App store accompanied by negative reviews.

Dear "Rich" @Snapchat, Good Bye from my "Poor" mobile. I love my country more than this app. #boycottsnapchat pic.twitter.com/EkpemO9ez3

More than 65% Americans can't afford a college degree in US but Indian's can.
So who's poor? @evanspiegel #Snapchat #boycottsnapchat
😉 pic.twitter.com/7X6zIJ2spV

But in a case of mistaken identity, many people downgraded and uninstalled the mobile application of e-commerce platform Snapdeal instead of Snapchat to mark their protest. And the confusion resulted in hilarious reactions on Twitter.

@thetanmay Thanks bud. Ppl asking us to make a statement that @snapdeal is not @snapchat was possibly the last thing I thought I would ever need to do.

Snapdeal from the last two days.#BoycottSnapchat pic.twitter.com/5xKGvHGi4W

Boycotting Snapdeal instead of Snapchat is the equivalent of slapping Arbaaz Khan because you're angry with Roger Federer.

Two Minutes Of Silence For People Who Rated #Snapdeal As 1 Star Confusing It To #Snapchat Because Of Similar Names. 🙏🙏🙏#BoycottSnapchat pic.twitter.com/UHRiIzrl39

Snapchat, which has about 4 million users in India, has called the allegations “ridiculous”. “Obviously Snapchat is for everyone. It's available worldwide to download for free,” a company spokesperson said on Monday.

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