Payroll startup Warp, based in New York, is facing backlash after a controversial post by an account affiliated with the company surfaced on X (formerly known as Twitter). The account, under the name Vittorio, posted a message expressing support for white superiority, which quickly sparked outrage.
The post, shared on Thursday, read: “I like White people more, they do more, they are better for the roles I need to climb the Kardashev scale. I’ll let blacks run and play basketball.” Vittorio’s profile displayed a badge indicating an affiliation with Warp, a company specializing in automating state-by-state tax compliance. Warp was part of the winter 2023 cohort at Y Combinator, and the badge on the account was part of X’s “X for Business” program, typically reserved for employees. However, Warp had been distributing these badges more widely as part of an unconventional marketing effort.
The public outrage centered not just on Vittorio’s remarks but on Warp itself. In response, Warp issued a statement disavowing Vittorio’s comments, calling them “wrong” and reaffirming that “excellence can come from anywhere.” The company clarified that Vittorio had never been employed by Warp and removed his affiliate badge.
Following the incident, Vittorio’s account was deleted, and Warp stated it was limiting the distribution of affiliate badges to a smaller group of people they “personally know.” The company did not provide further details about its affiliate relationships, despite inquiries from TechCrunch. Some affiliates, such as one user named Pico Paco, defended the original post, framing the situation as a “PR crisis” before also losing their badge.
Earlier in the week, writer Gergely Orosz raised concerns about Warp’s marketing approach, noting his X feed had been filled with blue checkmarked accounts affiliated with Warp, sharing what he described as “engagement bait” and edgy political opinions. Orosz speculated that Warp was giving affiliate badges to “hip” accounts to generate attention for the company.
Warp CEO Ayush Sharma, in a now-deleted post, commented on the importance of “freedom of speech” and indicated the company was open to taking risks while remaining receptive to feedback. When questioned about the potential association with racist remarks, Sharma clarified that Warp’s experimentation with the affiliate badge system was separate from condoning offensive behavior.
