{{Short description|American entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of Gab.com}} {{Use American English|date=December 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Andrew Torba | citizenship = United States | education = University of Scranton | occupation = {{ubl|Former CEO, Automate Ads|CEO, Gab}} | years_active = 2011–present | spouse = Emily 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.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Gab: Free speech haven or alt-right safe space? - BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-38305402 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214022205/https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-38305402 |archive-date=2016-12-14 |access-date=2025-12-02 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2018-10-29 |title=Who is Gab founder Andrew Torba? |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/gab-founder-andrew-torba-193404160.html |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US}}</ref> 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.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gjelten |first=Tom |date=2025-11-05 |title=The New Christian Right, Antisemitism & U.S. Democracy |url=https://momentmag.com/the-new-christian-right/ |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=Moment Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
== 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.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |title=From Silicon Valley elite to social media hate: The radicalization that led to Gab |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/10/31/silicon-valley-elite-social-media-hate-radicalization-that-led-gab/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104210216/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/10/31/silicon-valley-elite-social-media-hate-radicalization-that-led-gab/ |archive-date=2018-11-04 |access-date=2025-12-02 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref>
== Career == Along with Charles Szymanski, Torba co-founded his first startup, Kuhcoon (aka Automate Ads),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kuhcoon (YC W15) Promises To Automate Facebook Ad Campaigns For Small Businesses |url=https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/kuhcoon-yc-w15-promises-to-automate-facebook-ad-campaigns-for-small-businesses |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=Y Combinator |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> Torba and Szymanski moved to Palo Alto in Northern California expecting access to upwards of $100,000 in capital and connections to potential investors.<ref name=":2"/><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |title=How a Silicon Valley Striver Became the Alt-Right's Tech Hero |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-09/how-a-silicon-valley-striver-became-the-alt-right-s-tech-hero |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825020155/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-09/how-a-silicon-valley-striver-became-the-alt-right-s-tech-hero |archive-date=2018-08-25 |access-date=2025-12-02 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}</ref>
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."<ref name=":2"/> Kuhcoon was renamed Automate Ads, and failed by mid-2016.<ref name=":3" />
Torba left California and moved to Austin, Texas, stating he no longer felt safe as a conservative in Silicon Valley and that he had been facing backlash for months over posts made on Twitter.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |title=Trump-Supporting CEO Kicked Out Of Y Combinator Startup Incubator |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nitashatiku/trump-supporting-startup-ceo-kicked-out-of-y-combinator |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250828195345/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nitashatiku/trump-supporting-startup-ceo-kicked-out-of-y-combinator |archive-date=2025-08-28 |access-date=2025-12-02 |work=BuzzFeed News |language=en}}</ref>
=== Gab === {{Hatnote|See also: Gab (social network)}} In August 2016, at the age of 25, Torba founded Gab.<ref name=":3" /> The timing corresponded with the 2016 presidential candidacy of Donald Trump. Torba told ''The Washington Post'' he was motivated to create a forum that wasn't controlled by the "progressive leaders" in Silicon Valley.<ref name=":0" /> Unlike the majority of platforms at the time, Gab allowed users to mute or block accounts rather than having moderators remove the content, regardless of whether it contained harassment or misinformation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stocking |first=Christopher St Aubin and Galen |date=2023-01-24 |title=Key facts about Gab |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/01/24/key-facts-about-gab/ |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=Pew Research Center |language=en-US}}</ref>
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.<ref name=":4" /> ''The Washington Post'' reported that his removal followed clashes with other Y Combinator alumni on Facebook and Twitter, where he had called other community members "cucks" among other posts that were considered offensive.<ref name=":2"/> He had shared an image of a fellow alum's tweet citing concern for the safety of minorities in the wake of Trump's first election, in which Torba replied, "Build a wall." In a statement made to ''BuzzFeed News'', a Y Combinator partner confirmed he was removed "for speaking in a threatening, harassing way toward other YC founders."<ref name=":4" />
Within a year of the launch of Gab, Torba was meeting with right-wing figures such as Milo Yiannopoulous of ''Breitbart'' and Andrew Anglin of the Daily Stormer. He had appeared on Infowars and Tucker Carlson's show on ''Fox News''.<ref name=":3" /> By October 2017, Gab had signed an estimated 290,000 users. ''Bloomberg'' reported that Torba initially disagreed with the press calling the platform alt-right and made an effort to publicly distanced himself from its most extreme content.<ref name=":3" /> He refused to ban users that called right-wing author and user Theodore Beale a pedophile after Beale emailed in a request, but later defended banning Andrew Auernheimer (aka Weev) for what was determined to violate the site's term against terrorist threats. Some users criticized the ban citing that it went against the platform's premise of "free speech".<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-09-22 |title=Nazis Are Undermining Gab's Promise of Free Speech |url=https://www.newsweek.com/nazis-free-speech-hate-crime-jews-social-media-gab-weev-668614 |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Katz">{{Cite web |last=Katz |first=Rita |date=2018-10-29 |title=Inside the Online Cesspool of Anti-Semitism That Housed Robert Bowers |url=https://politi.co/2qpdV6B |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=POLITICO Magazine |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Katz"/> The site attracted widespread media attention when one of its users, Robert Bowers, posted on the site shortly before murdering 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.<ref name="Katz"/><ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Doubek |first=James |date=2018-10-28 |title=Gab, Site Where Synagogue Shooting Suspect Posted, Is Suspended |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/10/28/661532688/a-look-at-gab-the-free-speech-social-site-where-synagogue-shooting-suspect-poste |access-date=2025-12-02 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref>
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.<ref name=":5" /> Staff, including the head engineer, left the company.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Owen |first=Tess |date=2022-09-29 |title=Gab Founder Andrew Torba Wants to Build a Christian Nationalist Internet |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/gab-andrew-torba-christian-nationalist/ |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref> Coinbase, an American cryptocurrency exchange, banned Torba's personal account in January 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coinbase Bans Personal Account of British Right-Wing Pundit Milo Yiannopoulos |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coinbase-bans-personal-account-british-185600880.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20210319221729/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coinbase-bans-personal-account-british-185600880.html |archive-date=2021-03-19 |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=finance.yahoo.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Square's Cash App followed suit shortly after.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Owen |first=Tess |date=2019-01-23 |title=Gab is back in business after finding a payments processor willing to work with the alt-right |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/gab-is-back-in-business-after-finding-a-payments-processor-willing-to-work-with-the-alt-right/ |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Gab, the 'Free Speech' Network Used by Pittsburgh Shooting Suspect, Has Been Taken Offline |url=https://fortune.com/2018/10/29/gab-free-speech-network-offline/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107135508/https://fortune.com/2018/10/29/gab-free-speech-network-offline/ |archive-date=2018-11-07 |access-date=2025-12-02 |work=Fortune |language=en}}</ref> ''CNN'' reported Torba to have stated, "It disgusted me," and he was "horrified to find out that this alleged terrorist was on our site."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Good |first=Chris |date=2019-06-21 |title=Gab's Islamophobic content draws from YouTube, Twitter, study finds {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/21/tech/gabs-islamophobic-content-draws-from-youtube-twitter-study-finds |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> In an interview with ''NPR,'' Torba defended the site's policies and stated, "We're not going anywhere."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Garsd |first=Jasmine |date=2018-10-29 |title=After Synagogue Attack, Web-Hosting Sites Suspend Gab |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/10/29/661676103/after-synagogue-attack-web-hosting-sites-suspend-gab |access-date=2025-12-02 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=The CEO Trying to Build a White, Christian, Secessionist Tech Industry |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/163285/andrew-torba-gab-white-christian-internet |access-date=2025-12-02 |magazine=The New Republic |issn=0028-6583}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Alba |first=Davey |date=August 10, 2021 |title=Virus Misinformation Spikes as Delta Cases Surge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/10/technology/covid-delta-misinformation-surge.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810090626/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/10/technology/covid-delta-misinformation-surge.html |archive-date=August 10, 2021 |access-date=December 2, 2025 |website=New York Times}}</ref> According to ''the New York Times'', his post was followed by documents Torba shared containing false claims about how to request vaccine exemption.<ref name=":7" />
On August 19, 2022, the House Oversight Committee sent a letter addressed to Torba regarding threats directed at federal law enforcement that had been posted on Gab following the FBI search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property. The letter stated, "The Committee is seeking to understand how your company responds when users post threats against law enforcement, how your company plans to prevent your platform from being used to incite violence against law enforcement personnel, and whether legislative reform is necessary to protect law enforcement personnel and increase coordination with federal authorities."<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Maloney |first1=Carolyn B. |last2=Lynch |first2=Stephen F. |date=August 19, 2022 |title=U.S. House Oversight Committee |url=https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-oversight.house.gov/files/2022-08-19.CBM%20SFL%20to%20Torba-Gab%20re%20Social%20Media%20Threats.pdf |access-date=December 2, 2025 |website=House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform - Democrats}}</ref> Similar letters were sent to executives of other social media platforms, including Meta, Twitter, and Truth Social.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |date=2022-08-19 |title=Lawmakers demand data about online threats against law enforcement |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/08/19/fbi-social-media-law-enforcement/#main-content |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822051232/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/08/19/fbi-social-media-law-enforcement/#main-content |archive-date=2022-08-22 |access-date=2025-12-02 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref> Researchers cited by ''Business Insider'' found mentions of "civil war" and violent rhetoric to have increased by 106%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tangalakis-Lippert |first=Katherine |title=Extremists — and some GOP candidates — ramp up violent threats after Mar-a-Lago raid, prompting lawmakers to demand action from social media sites hosting calls for 'civil war' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/extremists-gop-candidates-violent-threats-after-mar-a-lago-raid-2022-8 |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Edward |date=2022-08-23 |title=House Oversight Dems Seeking Data From Social Media Companies About Threats to Law Enforcement |url=https://www.nextgov.com/digital-government/2022/08/house-oversight-dems-seeking-data-social-media-companies-about-threats-law-enforcement/376201/ |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=Nextgov.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":8" />
=== Christian nationalism === Torba has described the time immediately following the Pittsburgh shooting as when he became more deeply involved with Christianity because he struggled in the aftermath due to the perpetrator's use of his platform.<ref name=":6" /> In September 2021, Torba announced an update to Gab's infrastructure with the stated intention of creating a "parallel Christian Society" online. By this time he'd returned to Pennsylvania.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-10-19 |title=Christian nationalists seek a 'parallel' digital world to skirt the power of Big Tech |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/10/19/christian-nationalism-social-media-gab/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112014723/https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/10/19/christian-nationalism-social-media-gab/ |archive-date=2022-01-12 |access-date=2025-12-02 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref>
In September 2022, Torba and Andrew Isker co-authored a book titled ''Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide for Taking Dominion and Discipling Nations''.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |title=Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide For Taking Dominion And Discipling Nations |url=https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Nationalism-Biblical-Dominion-Discipling-ebook/dp/B0BCV58B4K?ref_=ast_author_dp&th=1&psc=1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JISjJSCq398i3l2_aui6omP1yVuP1sx0MzheUgy4UcAve1evGTXSkHGF07d9yl2wij_eCY5Z6Qp35blYwwOXpw.JpZbfS3S7Z2bK4vAWBwgGhXgBUVdbNxLDQ-cAkL7FOU&dib_tag=AUTHOR |access-date=December 2, 2025 |website=Amazon}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Vlamis |first=Kelsey |title=We read the Gab founder's how-to guide to Christian nationalism. The book is part of a new trend of conservatives openly embracing the ideology. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/gab-founder-andrew-torba-book-guide-to-christian-nationalism-2022-10 |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> ''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."<ref name=":10" />
=== Antisemitism === Torba has denied being an antisemite, according to the Anti-Defamation League, who has reported instances where Torba has shared antisemitic material through both his personal and Gab's verified Twitter account. The posts reportedly included language used by Nazi's in the 1930's blaming Jews for the Russian Revolution, as well as others referencing the Crucifixion and the Talmud.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gab CEO Andrew Torba Broadcasts His Antisemitism Across Social Media Platforms {{!}} ADL |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/article/gab-ceo-andrew-torba-broadcasts-his-antisemitism-across-social-media-platforms |access-date=2026-03-30 |website=www.adl.org |language=en}}</ref> According to the Combat Antisemitism Movement, Torba is a "vocal proponent of the Great Replacement Theory."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breen-Portnoy |first=Barney |date=2025-07-31 |title='MechaHitler' and the New Age of Digital Antisemitism |url=https://combatantisemitism.org/cam-news/mechahitler-and-the-new-age-of-digital-antisemitism/ |access-date=2026-03-30 |website=Combat Antisemitism Movement |language=en-US}}</ref> The Times of Isreal 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.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle hit with antisemitism after Gab founder targets paper |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/pittsburgh-jewish-chronicle-hit-with-antisemitism-after-gab-founder-targets-paper/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225075259/https://www.timesofisrael.com/pittsburgh-jewish-chronicle-hit-with-antisemitism-after-gab-founder-targets-paper/ |archive-date=2024-02-25 |access-date=2026-03-30 |language=en-US}}</ref>
The AZ Mirror described Torba as a "prominent anti-semite" following his endorsement of conservative candidates in the 2022 election.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=Small |first=Jim |date=2022-07-28 |title=Mark Finchem and Wendy Rogers are 'honored' to be endorsed by Gab founder, a prominent antisemite |url=https://azmirror.com/2022/07/28/mark-finchem-and-wendy-rogers-are-honored-to-be-endorsed-by-gab-founder-a-prominent-antisemite/ |access-date=2026-03-30 |website=Arizona Mirror |language=en-US}}</ref> Two of the candidates said they were "honored" to receive his endorsement. Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake's campaign rejected it.<ref name=":11" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=TucsonSentinel.com |last2=Levitt |first2=Shannon |title=Arizona’s Republican candidates can’t shake charges of antisemitism |url=http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report//102122_az_gop_jews/ |access-date=2026-03-30 |website=TucsonSentinel.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Personal life == Andrew Torba is married to Emily Torba. They have two children.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who is Gab Founder Andrew Torba? |url=https://www.modernghana.com/news/1156040/who-is-gab-founder-andrew-torba.html |access-date=2025-12-17 |website=Modern Ghana |language=en}}</ref>
== Books ==
* ''Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide for Taking Dominion and Discipling Nations'' – Co-Authored with Andrew Isker – Published Sep 9, 2022 – {{ISBN|979-8353628224}}<ref name=":9" /> * ''Reclaiming Reality: Restoring Humanity in the Age of AI'' – Published Feb 13, 2025 – {{ISBN|979-8310248731}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amazon.com |url=https://www.amazon.com/Reclaiming-Reality-Restoring-Humanity-Age-ebook/dp/B0DX6Z2KSL |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250327015307/https://www.amazon.com/Reclaiming-Reality-Restoring-Humanity-Age-ebook/dp/B0DX6Z2KSL |archive-date=2025-03-27 |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=www.amazon.com |language=en-us}}</ref> * ''Ginger the Giraffe: (Who Wanted to Be a Horse'') – Published September 20, 2024 – {{ISBN|979-8339858959}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amazon.com: Ginger the Giraffe: (Who Wanted To Be A Horse): 9798339858959: Torba, Andrew: Books |url=https://www.amazon.com/Ginger-Giraffe-Who-Wanted-Horse/dp/B0DHP5H95D |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250115223802/https://www.amazon.com/Ginger-Giraffe-Who-Wanted-Horse/dp/B0DHP5H95D |archive-date=2025-01-15 |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=www.amazon.com |language=en-us}}</ref> * ''Button: A Christmas Story'' – Published Dec 1, 2024 – {{ISBN|979-8301901393}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Button: A Christmas Story |url=https://www.amazon.com/Button-Christmas-Story-Andrew-Torba/dp/B0DPG3C82Y |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241216094207/https://www.amazon.com/Button-Christmas-Story-Andrew-Torba/dp/B0DPG3C82Y |archive-date=2024-12-16 |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=www.amazon.com |language=en-us}}</ref> * ''The Paper Crown'' – Published Oct 22, 2024 – {{ISBN|979-8343245653}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Paper Crown |url=https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Crown-Andrew-Torba/dp/B0DK564XCM? |access-date=December 2, 2025 |website=Amazon}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|9362478}}
{{Improve categories|date=December 2025}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torba, Andrew}} Category:Living people Category:American business executives Category:American Internet company founders Category:Alt-right Christians Category:Christian nationalists Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:University of Scranton alumni Category:Y Combinator people Category:American alt-right writers Category:Alt-right activists Category:American political commentators Category:American chief executives