In Lawsuit, Ex-Snapchat Employee Alleges Fake Growth Numbers

Snapchat is currently going through the necessary motions in order to file an initial public offering (IPO) in March 2017, but if a lawsuit filed in L.A. Superior Court holds any merit, it could throw a wrench in the messaging app’s plans. Anthony Pompliano, who Variety terms the former “growth lead” at Snapchat, claims the app fired him after he refused to “turn a blind eye to Snapchat’s misrepresentations.”

The misrepresentations in question are blacked out in the lawsuit, but depending on the results of a preliminary decision, some of them could be made public prior to Snapchat’s IPO. Pompliano’s case revolves around the idea that Snapchat inflated some of its growth numbers in order to boost the value of its IPO, which is expected to be somewhere in the vicinity of $25 billion. “Snapchat’s leadership saw Mr. Pompliano as an impediment to their planned IPO,” claims the suit.

Before joining Snapchat, Pompliano worked in a similar role at Facebook. His stay at Snapchat lasted just three weeks, and the suit alleges that the briefness of his tenure has impaired his ability to find another job.

Snapchat, as we would expect, has denied the suit’s claims. “We’ve reviewed the complaint,” company spokeswoman Mary Ritti told Variety. “It has no merit. It is totally made up by a disgruntled former employee.”

On the other hand, Pompliano was a significant-enough executive to receive an entire TechCrunch article announcing his hire. For that reason, we’re curious to see how his suit plays out, and if any of the misrepresentations he alleges end up in the public view.