Andrew Torba

Andrew Torba is an American businessman and self-described conservative Christian. He is best known for being the founder and CEO of Gab, a social media platform established as an alternative to mainstream sites and that became a haven for users banned from other platforms. Torba is also an author who has written multiple children's books and co-authored the book Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide to Taking Dominion and Discipling Nations.

Early life Andrew Torba grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania, the son of a FedEx courier. He attended the University of Scranton, where he studied philosophy and entrepreneurship. He wrote for the college newspaper where he criticized then-President Barack Obama.

Career Along with Charles Szymanski, Torba co-founded his first startup, Kuhcoon (aka Automate Ads), in 2011 out of his home in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The company helped run ads on Facebook. In 2014, they won a competition which resulted in the company being accepted into Y Combinator, a Silicon Valley incubator.

According to the Washington Post, anonymous associates from his time at Y Combinator described Torba and his friend as "mild-mannered and largely unremarkable". They also reported that Torba believed he did not fit in with the culture of Silicon Valley due to his politics and his vocal support of Donald Trump. He was quoted as saying, "I became incredibly disillusioned after only one year living and working with some of the 'top names' and companies," and added, "These are not good people."

Gab

In August 2016, at the age of 25, Torba founded Gab.

In November 2016, Andrew Torba was expelled from Y Combinator for violating its policy on harassment. According to Torba, it was because he was a conservative and a Trump supporter.

By late 2018, Gab had reached approximately 465,000 users and had gained the reputation of a social media site for those banned from Twitter and Facebook. In August of that year, Torba posted "Free speech means you can offend, criticize, and make memes about any race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Sick and tired of the double standards for 'acceptable speech' and 'protected classes' on both the left and the right." Gab was reported to have attracted white supremacists and neo-Nazis because their hate speech was allowed to stay on the platform, unlike on other sites. The site was also reported to have attracted prominent extremist figures like Richard Spencer, Christopher Cantwell, and Jared Taylor, as well as organizations such as Patriot Front and Identity Evropa. Politico compared the growth of far-right communities on Gab to the growth of ISIS on social media.

After the shooting, Gab was banned from its hosting sites, payment processors, and app stores. Torba defended the site's policies stating Bowers's post didn't read like a threat, but also condemned the shooting. Coinbase, an American cryptocurrency exchange, banned Torba's personal account in January 2019. Square's Cash App followed suit shortly after. CNN reported Torba to have stated, "It disgusted me," and he was "horrified to find out that this alleged terrorist was on our site." In an interview with NPR, Torba defended the site's policies and stated, "We're not going anywhere."

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Torba had positioned Gab to be an alt-tech alternative to Facebook and Twitter, telling readers, "It's time to build our own economy." The New York Times credited Torba with spreading a rumor regarding the court-martialing of active duty service members if they refused the vaccine. According to the New York Times, his post was followed by documents Torba shared containing false claims about how to request vaccine exemption. Similar letters were sent to executives of other social media platforms, including Meta, Twitter, and Truth Social. Researchers cited by Business Insider found mentions of "civil war" and violent rhetoric to have increased by 106%. Torba's response to inquiries from the Washington Post directed them to a blog post where he pointed out past cooperation with law enforcement and that the platform was considering its response to the committee.

In September 2022, Torba and Andrew Isker co-authored a book titled Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide for Taking Dominion and Discipling Nations. The book had reached 12th on Amazon's best seller list the week following its release. Within a month, it had a 4.7 rating with over 700 reviews. Business Insider reported that, in the book, Torba and Isker criticize current American society's acceptance of the LGBTQ and legal abortions. It also gives readers instructions on how to convince others to join the religion. It states that the ideal Christian nation would be led by Christians and governed based on Christian principles, and that their world view is "a threat to all other false worldviews." According to the Combat Antisemitism Movement, Torba is a "vocal proponent of the Great Replacement Theory." The Times of Israel quoted Torba as having said "You represent 2% of the country, ok? We're not bending the knee to the 2% anymore." on Gab TV.

The AZ Mirror described Torba as a "prominent anti-semite" following his endorsement of conservative candidates in the 2022 election. Two of the candidates said they were "honored" to receive his endorsement. Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake's campaign rejected it.

Personal life Andrew Torba is married to Emily Torba. They have two children.

Books

Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide for Taking Dominion and Discipling Nations – Co-Authored with Andrew Isker – Published Sep 9, 2022 – Ginger the Giraffe: (Who Wanted to Be a Horse) – Published September 20, 2024 – Button: A Christmas Story – Published Dec 1, 2024 – The Paper Crown – Published Oct 22, 2024 –