David Dobrik has parted ways with Dispo, the disposable camera app co-founded by the YouTuber in 2019, after allegations of sexual assault were made against a former member of his Vlog Squad, The Information reports.
“David has chosen to step down from the board and leave the company to not distract from the company’s growth,” Dispo said in a statement, “Dispo’s team, product, and most importantly — our community — stand for building a diverse, inclusive, and empowering world.”
Dobrik’s decision to leave Dispo follows a report from Insider in which one of the women featured in a 2018 vlog said a former member of Dobrik’s Vlog Squad engaged in sexual activity with her while she was too drunk to consent. She was 20 years old at the time, and said friends of Dobrik supplied her and her friends with alcohol as they were too young to buy it for themselves. Dobrik posted footage from the night of the incident in a video titled “SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE PLAYED WITH FIRE!!” which was later taken down at the request of the woman involved. “We’re all going to jail,” Dobrik said at the end of the video.
On the same day as Dobrik’s departure from Dispo, venture capital firm Spark Capital announced that it was cutting ties with the company after leading its recent $20 million funding round. “In light of recent news about the Vlog Squad and David Dobrik, the cofounder of Dispo, we have made the decision to sever all ties with the company,” the firm tweeted, “We have stepped down from our position on the board and we are in the process of making arrangements to ensure we do not profit from our recent investment in Dispo.”
Multiple sponsors have also either cut ties, or are reviewing their partnerships with Dobrik in light of the allegations. The New York Times reports that sponsors including HelloFresh and Dollar Shave Club are no longer working with the YouTuber or his team. Dobrik’s main YouTube channel has lost over 100,000 subscribers after the allegations were made public, and Dispo’s App Store page was bombarded with negative ratings.
2/ We have stepped down from our position on the board and we are in the process of making arrangements to ensure we do not profit from our recent investment in Dispo.
— Spark Capital (@sparkcapital) March 22, 2021
While Dobrik declined to comment to Insider on its report, he later published a video titled “Let’s talk” in which he discussed the controversy in general terms. “I don’t agree with some of the videos I’ve posted,” he says in the video, adding that there’s “been moments where I’ve looked back on videos, and I realize that these don’t represent me anymore, and they’re hurtful to other people.” Buzzfeed reported on separate allegations about the YouTuber last month made by a former Vlog Squad member, which he addresses in the same apology video.
“I’ve been really disappointed in some of my friends, and for that reason I’ve separated from a lot of them,” Dobrik said. Insider notes that the Vlog Squad member accused of sexual assault stopped appearing in videos on Dobrik’s channel in late 2019. “Consent is something that’s super super important to me,” Dobrik said. “I’m sorry if I’ve let you down, and things like that won’t happen again and I’ve learned from my mistakes.”
Dispo is an iOS app designed to imitate the process of using a disposable camera. Photos it takes only become available at 9AM the following day, and can be ordered as prints directly from the app.
