David Dobrik steps down from his photo app Dispo amid a growing backlash over a rape allegation against a former Vlog Squad member
- The YouTuber David Dobrik has stepped down from the board of Dispo, a photo app he cofounded.
- Spark Capital, which had led a $20 million fundraising round for Dispo, cut ties hours earlier.
- Insider last week reported a woman's allegation of being raped during filming for a Dobrik video.
David Dobrik stepped down from the board of Dispo, a photo app he cofounded, late Sunday.
The move was the latest fallout from an allegation of rape against Dominykas Zeglaitis, a former member of Dobrik's Vlog Squad group.
Numerous brands have cut ties with Dobrik since the publication of the allegation, which was reported last week by Insider's Kat Tenbarge.
Dispo is a photo-sharing app that recently became available for download. Its core feature is a shared photo reel in which friends take pictures but can't see them until they "develop" the next day, mimicking a disposable camera.
Dobrik's departure was announced within hours after the app was abandoned by a major backer. The venture-capital company Spark Capital ended its partnership with the app Sunday "in light of recent news about the Vlog Squad and David Dobrik, the cofounder of Dispo," per a company tweet.
It recently led a $20 million fundraising round for the app. Spark added that it had taken steps to ensure that it could not profit from Dispo in the future.
Hours after Spark's announcement, Dispo released a statement saying Dobrik had stepped down from its board.
"David has chosen to step down from the board and leave the company to not distract from the company's growth," the statement said, according to The Information.
"Dispo's team, product, and most importantly - our community - stand for building a diverse, inclusive, and empowering world," the statement added.
It is the latest reaction to the Insider investigation, which detailed allegations from a woman who featured in a since-deleted 2018 Vlog Squad video about group sex.
The woman accused Zeglaitis of rape by engaging in sexual activity with her the night of the video while she was so incapacitated by alcohol that she could not consent. Zeglaitis, then a member of the Vlog Squad group, also goes by the name Durte Dom.
The woman - whose identity is known to Insider but who used the pseudonym "Hannah" - later requested that Dobrik take the video down, which he did. By this time it had received more than 5 million views.
The woman said she did not report the incident to the police.
Zeglaitis declined to comment when approached by Insider about the allegations.
The day after the investigation was published, Dobrik released a rare apology video, titled "Let's Talk," in which he emphasized the importance of sexual consent.
Sponsors and partner companies - including HelloFresh, EA Sports, and Dollar Shave Club - have distanced themselves from Dobrik and the Vlog Squad since the allegations emerged.