CEO resigns after controversy about rape and child porn videos

Feras Antoon and David Tassillo, respectively CEO and COO of Mindgeek, the company that owns Pornhub and other porn giants, have announced their resignations. The site has been repeatedly pinned for hosting videos of rape, revenge porn, and child pornography, in addition to the risk of being blocked in France.

Nothing goes right at Pornhub. It all started in 2020, when the site, owned by Mindgeek, was accused of hosting child porn videos by a New York Times investigation. Then the porn giant’s moderation shortfalls came to light and Mindgeek lost a lot of juicy partnerships.

Pornhub is somehow trying to restore its image by removing thousands of problematic videos in waves, including revenge porn and even rape. But nothing helps. On June 20, The New Yorker published a new investigation, which once again highlighted the serious flaws in the platform’s moderation system.

Despite apparent efforts, nothing has changed: videos of rape and child pornography, among others, are still present. In some of them, the absence of consent from at least one protagonist is clearly explicit. Facing public outcry, Feras Antoon and David Tassillo, CEO and COO of Mindgeek, respectively, have resigned.

Pornhub loses its Nos. 1 and 2 in the face of controversy

“As the company is strategically positioned for long-term growth, MindGeek’s management team will manage day-to-day operations on an interim basis, and replacements are sought,” the parent company said. Despite their departure from management, Feras Antoon and David Tassillo remain shareholders of the company.

This layoff comes at a particularly difficult time for Pornhub. While the site is now facing numerous complaints from revenge porn victims, the latter is also being exposed to a threat of blocking in France, which the courts could rule on September 6. Arcom, backed by the government, accuses the platform of not complying with the new laws to protect minors.