Rumble Report

Executive Summary

Founded in 2013 by Chris Pavlovski, Rumble has emerged as a prominent open video management system catering to publishers and creators. Rumble enables online access to a variety of content and encourages users to contribute text, images, videos, and other materials for publication on the website. Notably, Rumble gained recognition beyond viral content when Devin Nunes accused YouTube of censorship, prompting him to shift his videos to Rumble. The platform's stature further rose when former President Trump joined on June 26, 2021.

  • Spearheaded by lead investor Peter Thiel, Rumble garnered attention during its Venture Round Fundraiser, with investments from Narya Capital and Colt Ventures, the latter closely linked to Thiel. Rumble predominantly generates income from Ad Revenue through Google AdSense.
    • Chris Pavlovski's appearances on Fox News have positioned Rumble as a counterforce to big tech, despite operating within its ecosystem. Moreover, Rumble's expansion into Truth Social, with CIO Vladimir Novachki from Cosmic Development, indicates its strategic direction. Amidst a growing user base, Rumble's choice to bring Michael Ellis, Trump's former National Security Advisor Legal Chief, as General Counsel, signifies its expanding influence.
  • Rumble appears to be working towards being an American First company, but they are still operating on AWS, and Peter Thiel appears to be involved in the finacial backing of Rumble.

Companies & Services Overview

  • Rumble
  • Founder: Chris Pavlovski
  • Established: 2013
  • Employees: 250-500
  • Annual Revenue: $65-80M
  • Rumble is an open video management system for publishers and creators. It develops a rights management video platform providing visitors to access content through the internet and offers the opportunity for users to submit text, pictures, video, and other content for posting on the website.

Audience

Notables

Early History

  • Rumble gained initial audience outside of Animal clips and viral videos when Devin Nunes accused YouTube of censoring his channel and Devin Nunes began posting his videos on Rumble.
  • President Trump joined Rumble on June 26, 2021.

Financials:

  • Peter Thiel is the lead investor in Rumble Venture Round Fundraiser.
    • Narya Capital is listed as an investor which is also co-owned by Peter Thiel.
    • Colt Ventures is listed as an investor and the founder has previously worked closely with Peter Thiel.

Chris Pavlovski:

  • Chris Pavlovski worked for Microsoft (Junior Network Admim.) while he was a college student.
  • Chris Pavlovski finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2010.
    • Ernst & Young partnered with the Clinton State Department in November 2009.

Other Notables

  • Joe Rogan just recently pushed a segment mentioning Rumble that was tweeted by Chris Pavlovski. (Note: Mentions no censorship on Rumble. THEY DO)
    • Rumble offered Joe Rogan 100 million to podcast on Rumble.
  • Vladimir Novachki was CTO at Cosmic Development; Chris Pavlovski cofounded Cosmic Development and Vladimir Novachki is now CIO of Truth Social.
    • Cosmic Inc. also founded in 2013.
  • Q2 2020 Rumble is reporting 44 million active monthly users.
  • Rumble is operating using AWS servers which allow 5eyes access as of 9/6/2022.
  • Rumble gets the majority of its income from Ad Revenue through Google AdSense.
  • Rumble is about as far from anti big tech as you can get; Chris Pavlovski mentioned on Fox News that Rumble is anti-big tech.
    • Chris Pavlovski also mentions here that Truth Social will exists on (through?) Rumble Cloud… (5eyes?)
  • Rumble hired Michael Ellis as General Counsel (Trump’s National Security Advisor Legal Chief)

Questions

  • What is the relationship between Truth Social & Rumble?
  • How much control does Peter Theil have over Rumble?
  • Is Rumble lying to consumers when they say they don’t operate on big tech yet do use Amazon Web Services?
    • Rumble ads platform has recently been released.
    • How does revenue compare with Google AdSense?

Conclusion

Facilitating online content sharing and engagement, Rumble has drawn attention not only for its viral content but also for its role as a platform for countering censorship concerns, but with lead investor Peter Thiel at the helm, Rumble attracted attention during its Venture Round Fundraiser, securing investments from Narya Capital and Colt Ventures, both closely tied to Thiel. This points to Thiel's significant sway over the platform's direction and control.

    • Despite positioning itself as an alternative to big tech, Rumble's use of Amazon Web Services (AWS) raises questions about its claims of independence. Interestingly, mainstream media outlets such as NYT and WaPo have largely overlooked leaked information about Rumble's vulnerabilities.
  • The platform seems to be on a trajectory toward embracing an "America First" stance, though as of January 9, 2023, this transformation is a work in progress. The intriguing interplay between Rumble and Truth Social, underscored by the involvement of CIO Vladimir Novachki, hints at deeper connections between these platforms. As Rumble's ad platform gains momentum, its revenue generation—largely through Google AdSense—shifts due to these strategic developments.
    • Amidst these dynamics, Rumble's internal motivations and relationships remain cloaked in a degree of mystery, leaving observers to puzzle over the underlying forces at play.
Rumble

Scope
Organization

Score
Some concerns or issues.

Created
Sept. 27, 2023, 4:02 p.m.

Updated
May 10, 2024, 7:27 p.m.

Availability
Public

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