Peeple Disappears From The Web, Rumors It’s A Hoax Debunked By Co-Founder


When Julia Cordray described her Peeple app as “Yelp for People” to the Washington Post last week, she had no idea of the firestorm of criticism she would be unleashing.

Peeple, the brainchild of tech entrepreneurs Julia Cordray and Nicole McCullough, was developed as a way to get feedback, all in the name of research and getting to know people better.

Cordray likened Peeple to the research that people do when they will buy a car, go on a trip, or reserve a table at a restaurant.

“People do so much research when they buy a car or make those kinds of decisions,” Cordray said to the Post. “Why not do the same kind of research on other aspects of your life?”

But the idea that an app was being developed that would let people rate and comment on their fellow human beings, like one would a restaurant, immediately raised eyebrows and red flags.

The premise was threading dangerous waters already, but couple that with features that allowed for anyone to be rated and for a profile to be made for them regardless of whether or not they join, and you have a recipe for disaster.

People immediately pounced on Peeple’s idea and quickly ripped it to shreds.

Model Chrissy Teigen called out the app for being “horrible and scary” and tweeted that she “f**&% hate this app and the boardroom table it was created around.”

It was also lampooned by TV host Jon Oliver on Last Week Tonight, where he said “the Internet is basically a faucet that dispenses hate, racism and the occasional sad orgasm. And yet the creators of this app remain oblivious to its lack of appeal.”

A parody website called Sheeple also appeared – a re-imagination of the site, but for sheep instead of people. But despite Cordray saying that she won’t back down in the face of all these criticisms, all traces of Peeple appear to have disappeared. People who visited the app’s website initially found a “Not Found” error. However, a new message that reads “join the positive revolution #oct 12” replaced it.

Peeple’s Facebook and Twitter pages appear to have been deactivated as well, as Googling it only reveals messages that either says the account doesn’t exist or that the content is unavailable.

Calls to Cordray and McCullough also went unanswered, and the total media silence led to speculations that maybe Peeple was just one big elaborate hoax.

Snopes.com even did an article on the app and the myth-busting site raised questions about the founders and the app’s online footprint. According to the site, McCullough virtually had no online footprint to speak off until the news about Peeple went viral. On the other hand, Cordray’s presence online mostly revolved around Career Fox Inc. and 96 Talents, where she’s listed as CEO.

But the rumor that Peeple is a hoax was debunked by Cordray in a message she posted on LinkedIn on October 4.

It would appear that some good came out of the backlash Cordray and McCullough received, as she cited herself as an example as to what can happen when “negative comments can be made about you without your approval.”

“Since the interview with The Washington Post, I’ve received death threats and extremely insulting comments aimed at me, my investors, and my family on almost every social media tool possible,” Cordray revealed.

But the “catch,” as she calls it, was that those comments can’t be undone or deleted (which was actually the point that countless netizens have been trying to point out to her).

However, the experience further reinforced her belief that her Peeple app is needed as “the world needs more love and positivity.”

To that end, she still intends to release Peeple but with some significant changes, like a “100% OPT-IN system.”

“You will NOT be on our platform without your explicit permission. There is no 48 hour waiting period to remove negative comments. There is no way to even make negative comments,” Cordray wrote. “Simply stated, if you don’t explicitly say ‘approve recommendation,’ it will not be visible on our platform.”

Peeple’s co-founder also reached out to the BBC in an email and said that they are looking forward to October 12, 2015, as they will be unveiling their new concept to the world via an exclusive talk show.

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