https://www.thedailybeast.com/ceo-o...ng-if-you-run-this-profile-well-fire-our-host
This guy sounds like a fucking lunatic.
Every day, hundreds of thousands of people all over the world fire up their smartphones and log onto HQ, a live trivia app that has attracted enormous online buzz and been called the "Future of TV"in the past week.
The co-founder and CEO of the app, however, threatened in a tirade to fire its star host simply for speaking to press on Monday.
HQ Trivia allows users across the globe to tune in and participate in twice-per-day live trivia shows where they have the chance to win real cash. The app was founded by Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll, who co-created Vine in 2012.
Since its launch over the summer it has become a cultural force. Over 170,000 people waited in the game's lobby to play HQ on Sunday night.
At the heart of the app is a cult figure named Scott, who hosts the majority of shows. Scott Rogowsky has become the default face of the app, and while other hosts sometimes fill in, Scott is undoubtedly the favorite. It's Scott's face that is plastered all over HQ's press materials, after all. Fans call him "Quiz Daddy" and on the few days when he doesn't host HQ Trivia, people beg for his return.
"Everyone needs 15 minutes of Scott in their lives," one fan recently tweeted. "If you don't like Scott from HQ we can't be friends," said another.
Because of his status as a rising celeb, The Daily Beast reached out to Rogowsky on Monday to write a lighthearted profile on his career and how his life has changed post-HQ fame.
Scott agreed to the interview and chatted with The Daily Beast on Monday afternoon. The Daily Beast simultaneously reached out to the HQ public relations email account and Yusupov, one of HQ's founders, letting him know of our plans to write a story about the show's host.
Several hours later, we received an email from Yusupov stating that HQ was "not making Scott available to discuss his involvement with HQ with the media/press." The reporter informed Yusupov that we had already interviewed Scott and that the story was nearing publication, but encouraged him to call us with any concerns.
That's when things went off the rails.
Yusupov, the CEO of HQ, called the reporter's cellphone and immediately raised his voice. He said that we were "completely unauthorized" to write about Scott or HQ without his approval and that if we wrote any type of piece about Scott, he would lose his job.
Yusupov continued to threaten Scott's job, even after The Daily Beast explained that the story was framed around Scott's daily life and that he revealed no corporate information.
"You're putting Scott's job in jeopardy. Is that what you want?" Yusupov said. "Scott could lose his job."
"Please read me your story word for word," Yusupov said. "Or you can email it to me." Although The Daily Beast does not typically share the contents of our pieces, the reporter shared quotes from Rogowsky, which were non-confrontational and shared no company secrets.
Yusupov's objections began with the line, "Scott said that despite the attention, he's still able to walk down the street and order his favorite salad from Sweetgreen without being accosted."
"He cannot say that!" Yusupov shouted. "We do not have a brand deal with Sweetgreen! Under no circumstances can he say that."
When asked to confirm that Rogowsky can't say he personally enjoys eating at Sweetgreen, Yusupov said "he cannot say that," inaccurately claiming that Scott had disclosed private company information by revealing his preference for a salad chain.
When The Daily Beast read Yusupov a quote from Rogowsky saying "I can make people happy and give them the trivia they so desperately love and want. It's been so great to build this community," Yusupov implored the reporter to "take that out."
Asked for clarification, Yusupov replied that Rogowsky was absolutely not allowed to say that he "enjoys making people happy and giving them the trivia they want."
"He cannot say that people want trivia," said Yusupov, the founder of the HQ Trivia app.
"It's highly unprofessional. Highly unprofessional of you to reach out to one of our contract employees without my permission and without going through proper press channels," Yusupov said, revealing previously undisclosed information that Scott himself is not a full-time HQ employee.
Yusupov said that he would approve The Daily Beast to write an article all about Scott's life, but that we were "not allowed" to include any mention of HQ or his role in HQ (which is public), or he could be terminated.
"This is ridiculous," Yusupov said. "If you reached out to an Apple engineer and they gave you information about the new iPhone, would you run it? No, because you'd have to go through proper press channels."
Yusupov was repeatedly reassured that Scott had not revealed a single piece of classified information about HQ.
After a back and forth wherein Yusupov told The Daily Beast its reporter would never be allowed to talk to Rogowsky again, the co-founder nervously stated that the conversation was off the record, something he had not stated before that point and a precondition The Daily Beast had never agreed to. The phone call ended shortly thereafter.
When The Daily Beast called Yusupov back a day later letting him know that the story was being reframed around his comments, Yusupov brought Rogowsky onto the phone call and falsely claimed that he never threatened to fire him.
"My feeling was that it was unethical and that you were compromising the app," Yusupov said to Rogowsky while on the phone with The Daily Beast. "Now they want to reframe the story as me threatening to fire you. Do you think that's a good idea?"
Yusupov then said that the two were actually in long-term contract negotiations and that he never had plans to fire him. "He and I are working on a media plan," Yusupov said.
"I don't want to fire Scott. Scott is our guy."
This guy sounds like a fucking lunatic.
