What's going on with Epik and Rob Monster?

[MapleDots]

I'm catching the tail end of this, seems to be some kind of controversy...

https://domaingang.com/domain-news/rob-monster-off-twitter-after-christchurch-massacre-controversy/

Must be something odd to evoke this type of a response from one of our members.

 

[Rob Monster]

I think Llama and JBL just outed themselves as being the same persona. Verbatim the same comment. Ooops. I think I knew who JBL was and now we know that the manufactured consensus is indeed that.

As for Kate and Carob, they are members of the same brigade and show up pronto every time so I am not sure how much I will engage with their narratives other than seizing the opportunity to drop an occasional truth bomb in response to their hive-mind nonsense.

 

[JB Lions]

I think Llama and JBL just outed themselves as being the same persona. Verbatim the same comment. Ooops. I think I knew who JBL was and now we know that the manufactured consensus is indeed that.

You're not very observant. He was quoting me obviously, his reply were the smileys. You conveniently left that part out of your screenshot. No, we're not the same person. You know NP staff can see that sort of thing? You and your conspiracy stuff.

 

[carob]

I think Llama and JBL just outed themselves as being the same persona. Verbatim the same comment. Ooops. I think I knew who JBL was and now we know that the manufactured consensus is indeed that.

Show attachment 114219


As for Kate and Carob, they are members of the same brigade and show up pronto every time so I am not sure how much I will engage with their narratives other than seizing the opportunity to drop an occasional truth bomb in response to their hive-mind nonsense.

Rob that really is not constructive - we are here to discuss issues and business, not ad hominem points. Describing factual posts as nonsense is, well, contrafactual. Maybe you could answer some questions and show us your good character rather than trying to criticise the character of others?

You use words like mob, tyranny, brigade, bias etc a great deal - just because more than one person asks you questions or disagrees with points you make does not mean there is a conspiracy against you, but the nice thing about being paranoid and believing in conspiracy theories is it makes a person feel important - and excuses them from any rational or civil discussion.

 

[Rob Monster]

Has Rob Monster at times had an admin role on Gab?

Nope, and for the record:

- Neither Epik I are an admin at Gab, directly or indirectly
- Neither Epik I are an owner of Gab, directly or indirectly
- Neither Epik I are the host for Gab, directly or indirectly

We are the registrar for Gab.com and Dissenter.com. We rarely speak with their personnel -- the last time being months ago.

I occasionally post at Gab thought lately much less as I believe that mission was accomplished now that management is actively enforcing ToS and has capable legal counsel on board.

Epik supports lawful free speech of all types, including the voices that are censored or oppressed, regardless of any personal bias or preference of management.

 

[oldtimer]

You are not so well informed about the EU and how it works.

Had to come back for one more post:

Advocating for intentional maiming and torture of other human beings is not a holy and divine calling, but rather is a tool of suppression and oppression that is used by the ruling class and the elites to keep the lower classes obedient while they themselves engage in far worst immoral and indecent behaviors and activities. The European Union has been supporting these evil and brutal acts done in the name of God by certain groups because they are using these religious ideologies as a shield against Russian aggressions and as such the EU has helped to make these extreme ideologies to become much more stronger in the past fifty years to the point that now the whole European culture and values along with the rest of the Western World are being taken over by these extreme and unholy ways of thinking which is tearing Europe apart.

All our social, behavioral, Medical, genetical, economical, and environmental problems can be solved by the Advent of AI provided that those who consider themselves to be educated, enlightened, and decent people stop supporting all the different political, religious, and racial extremist ideologies that stand in the way of progress.

As I have already mentioned I have the outmost respect for those who promote moderation regardless of their political, racial, or religious affiliations and I hope that all voices of moderation can find a common cause in promoting a World that is free from extreme ideologies and that is based on logic, compassion, and the Universal rights and values.

Those who want to keep the status quo have been preempting the voice of reason for many years now by discrediting and killing the activists and journalist all around the World, we should not let those who want to keep us in the past to preempt AI with the help of tech tyrants.

 

[Rob Monster]

You use words like mob, tyranny, brigade, bias etc a great deal.

First of all, I look forward to the day when everyone uses actual identities. As a nameless/faceless person, it is really hard to take you seriously. I read your stuff but only selectively engage with sock puppets.

I mean "you" no disrespect. However, in light of your decision to be nameless and faceless, I question your intentions, and believe "you" to be unauthentic.

As for the conspiracy topic:

Most people are not studied on the propaganda tactics developed by the likes or Alinsky, Bernays, and Gramsci. I am.

Most people people had not heard of a "Hegelian dialectic" until they read about it in this thread, nor have trained their eyes to be observant in modern times for its application. I have.

Most people have not really contemplated the meaning of life, nor did they deeply consider why the Founding Fathers of our nation were dogmatic about civil liberty and natural law. I did.

Most people conflate knowledge and wisdom as if they are the same. There are highly educated people, who embrace atheism, which they have the temerity to not recognize for being a religion. I don't.

 

[JB Lions]

First of all, I look forward to the day when everyone uses actual identities. As a nameless/faceless person, it is really hard to take you seriously. I read your stuff but only selectively engage with sock puppets.

As for the conspiracy topic:

Most people are not studied on the propaganda tactics developed by the likes or Alinsky, Bernays, and Gramsci. I am.

Most people people had not heard of a "Hegelian dialectic" until they read about it in this thread, nor have trained their eyes to be observant in modern times for its application. I have.

Most people have not really contemplated the meaning of life, nor did they deeply consider why the Founding Fathers of our nation were dogmatic about civil liberty and natural law. I did.

Most people conflate knowledge and wisdom as if they are the same. There are highly educated people, who embrace atheism, which they have the temerity to not recognize for being a religion. I don't.

I mean "you" no disrespect. However, in light of your decision to be nameless and faceless, I question your intentions, and believe "you" to be unauthentic.

I was waiting for the Alinksy stuff. It's one of the crutches you use when you can't reply to the actual content of the post. You've used that one alone here many times, on your blog, on your Twitter, at Gab, etc.

As far as identities, nameless/faceless person, another one of your crutches. You say that, but for some reason it doesn't apply when you engage with all the anonymous people at Gab. Didn't stop you yesterday from linking out to Zero Hedge articles written by.......Tyler Durden. You know that's not a real name right? It's a character from the movie Fight Club. You literally did a recorded broadcast (the Eric Striker one) with 2 racists, they didn't show their face. I guess that one was ok too.

You bumped this thread talking about Sharia, posting stuff from Lauren Southern. Didn't touch the stuff I posted about her. Didn't touch how you talk about your former employee. Not posting full screenshots. You like to talk about tactics, when you're using them to dodge questions, actual content of a post.

 

[Rob Monster]

Had to come back for one more post:

All our social, behavioral, Medical, genetical, economical, and environmental problems can be solved by the Advent of AI ....

AI is indeed the next big thing. We agree. FYI, BitMitigate.com is largely AI. Nick Lim, the Founder of BitMitigate, and now CTO of Epik, is all about AI. Only AI can fight off a DDoS attack from 10 million IPs and still let human traffic through. AI keeps improving and can be replicated with little or no cost, thereby providing anyone with the ability to benefit. That is profound and is happening.

Looking ahead, as structured data combines with AI, the list of potential AI applications that will change lives is hard to comprehend. The big question is whether it will be a force for good and general abundance, or whether it will overwhelmingly benefit a small minority that wishes to keep the rest of humanity enslaved through debt, dependence, and ignorance. I am working for general abundance.

 

[Rob Monster]

I was waiting for the Alinksy stuff.

Any references to textbook propagandists is not for you. It is for those who should study their tactics so that they can train their minds to process propaganda more effectively and with conscious discernment

Tyler Durden. You know that's not a real name right?

I occasionally read ZH. It is really not a go-to for me and rarely link to it. Have I ever quoted "Tyler"? No, I have not. Ad hominem omitted.

Didn't touch how you talk about your former employee.

Joseph is still with us -- there will be an orderly transition. I have only love for the guy even if we disagree about how the world should work. That said, Epik's talent bench is deeper than you probably realize.

 

[carob]

I mean "you" no disrespect. However, in light of your decision to be nameless and faceless, I question your intentions, and believe "you" to be unauthentic.

I think what you mean is that since I and others raise points you don't want to respond to, you try to invalidate the person, despite your claims that you are against censorship. I do hope you believe in privacy but in passing I have pointed out several occasions where you have violated others' privacy. Do you think that encourages people to trust you, particularly with any personal information?

I have already pointed out to you that Namepros does not have a real names policy, you might want to read that post again, and the namepros rules https://www.namepros.com/threads/wh...-and-rob-monster.1128748/page-20#post-7166639

You really seem to be in a mood to make unpleasant remarks about others today, I don't know what time zone you are in but perhaps you need more rest.

 

[Rob Monster]

I don't know what time zone you are in but perhaps you need more rest.

I am in Seattle and slept like a baby last night. As usual.

 

[Rob Monster]

Yes, of course.

On the other hand, my neighbor is black, and married to a white woman. Since the Gab incident, he no longer talks to me. I still wave to him, greet him with a smile. His kids play in our back yard. We are still friends on Facebook but he thinks I have something against him because some liberal media told him that I am this, that and the other. As he whizzed by me this morning while out walking the dogs, I prayed for him.

Quick update on this one.

Providentially, ran into both the neighbor husband and his wife this week. We are all good. It was like nothing ever happened. They actually know the real Rob Monster.

Also, the ANTIFA folks leave me alone too. Only the SPLC is a problem, and that is likely because the author of the Hatewatch article needs to justify his lies. The comments on Dissenter are the real value.

The only thing is that to read the comments, you will need to install the Dissenter.com plug-in.

 

[wormfood]

"However, in light of your decision to be nameless and faceless, I question your intentions, and believe "you" to be unauthentic."
almost everyone on here uses a made-up name, so apparently they are all "unauthentic"....
and epik is supposedly all about privacy.. use our Anonymize service.. but please put your full real name when talking to me on a forum, or I can't take you seriously..
https://techcrunch.com/2012/07/29/s...-real-name-policies-fail-to-improve-comments/

"Most people are not studied on the propaganda tactics developed by the likes or Alinsky, Bernays, and Gramsci. I am."
that's working out real well. still falling prey to the likes of infowars and alt-right charlatans on youtube.

"Most people have not really contemplated the meaning of life, nor did they deeply consider why the Founding Fathers of our nation were dogmatic about civil liberty and natural law. I did."

but I did!
more arrogance. stunning

"There are highly educated people, who embrace atheism, which they have the temerity to not recognize for being a religion."
because atheism is not a religion? is that such a hard concept?
-no creed or form of worship
-no code of doctrine and discipline
-no specific literature for all atheists
-no regular services for all atheists

 

[Kate]

I don't know @Slanted in person but if he left the company as a result of this incident, then clearly Epik has suffered damage greater than a few domain transfers. The brand was tarnished and Epik has alienated people who could have become customers. Epik has burned bridges with the domain community. All that was totally unnecessary.

I saw Joseph was attempting damage control but Rob has made the task impossible. The takeaway of this thread is that it's good to put some distance between yourself and your corporate role.

Yes, upholding certain values like free speech can be good business and a differentiation tool.
But the effort is completely discredited when you use that same free speech to offend existing or potential customers and everyone else. Then you're stepping into the realm of propaganda and away from your core business.

I actually prefer to work with companies that are committed to freedom and civil liberties. Likewise I have ditched companies for not taking a stance when they should have.
But when people hide behind free speech as an excuse to hurt others. Well. Free speech takes a back seat.

 

[Rob Monster]

"

because atheism is not a religion? is that such a hard concept?

Thanks @wormfood.

I don't judge you for believing what you believe, but I call it for what it is. Atheism is a belief system that holds that the universe is the product of randomness. Its adherents hold no accountability to a Creator. Beyond that, and within that, there are some who value the life of an animal higher than a human, etc..

Now, you are right about distinguishing between structured religions and an unstructured belief system. I am not saying there is a creed or unified doctrine for atheism. Yet, there is an essential conviction that the universe is the product of randomness.

That being said, I want to acknowledge that there are many lovely, kind, generous and seemingly selfless atheists so by no means did I intend to judge or critique. However, atheism is a belief system nonetheless and it has core tenets that can and will inform the adherent's life choices.

In case you missed it, I do believe that evolution is nonsense. In fact, I spoke to a popular blogger via Skype for an extended discussion one night this week. It was quite a call as he was completely hammered. Among the various topics covered, he thought that the idea that the theory of evolution is nonsense to be quite hilarious.

Again, for each his own. I absolutely judge nobody. However, please don't kid yourself: Atheism is a belief system. It may be less structured than most religions but that world view very likely will drive all manner of life decisions in relationships, family planning, business, hobbies, philanthropy, etc.

 

[Rob Monster]

I don't know
I actually prefer to work with companies that are committed to freedom and civil liberties. Likewise I have ditched companies for not taking a stance when they should have. But when people hide behind free speech as an excuse to hurt others. Well. Free speech takes a back seat.

Just so you know, Epik would welcome your business.

As for me aspiring to "hurt others", if in your heart you really think that, I am not sure I can help you. One thing is certain and that is that I am the friendliest "Monster" you will probably ever meet. I should not have taken the SPLC bait when they tried to tag Epik as an accomplice in a horrific act. And I apologized for that.

 

[Rob Monster]

What is Rob's role at Epik?

Their site says he is CEO and President: https://www.epik.com/about/
You can see pictures of the staff there - what do they think of his public non-business activities?

And what do the Epik investors think? Epik Holdings Inc are seeking investors:
https://gab.com/epik/posts/43282539


Is Rob the majority shareholder/owner at Epik or do others control it? That probably determines who he answers to.

@carob - I am coming back to your request for information here.

So briefly:

- I own about 80% of the voting shares. It is all common stock. We have done a lot with relatively little outside capital. Along the way, I have had many opportunities to "cram down" our minority shareholders. Such an act would not pass the "do unto others" test so I have not done that which I believe they appreciate.

- There are 2 Board directors, including me. We did have a 3rd Director but he dropped out when the Huffington Post interviewed him. They also interviewed Braden Pollock who is more media-savvy and was probably less overwhelmed by agenda-driven reporters. He has hung in there, which I appreciate.

- In the last few months, we have started a Board-authorized private placement valuing all of Epik at a rather modest $10 million. The raise authorizes raising another $2.5 million, which is partly subscribed so far. I remain hopeful to fill that round in the coming weeks.

- We also also did an acquisition of BitMitigate in February which I believe was a very wise move and for which the total consideration was very reasonable. The addition of Nick Lim as CTO is a very exciting development which I believe will bear much fruit.

- Just prior to this PR interest in Epik, I was in contact with a number of industry luminaries about coming on board as value-added capital. It is actually my sincere goal that Epik be owned by the industry and that we have diverse governance. I hope to get there soon!

As for my role at Epik, I have been doing this for about 10 years. However, for about 3 years, I was relatively less active as I was also working on DigitalTown. In September I felt called to once again focus full time again on Epik. At the time, I really was not expecting to find myself in a global debate on civil liberty.

Looking ahead, if I thought there was a competent acquirer or a capable successor, I would certainly consider stepping aside. That said, I am 51 years old, and in good health, so I will do my best to carry the torch for as long as makes sense. Anyone interested is welcome to message me privately.

 

[frank-germany]

As for the business, just FYI, less than 500 domains have transferred out since March 1. It is immaterial and entirely in line with normal activity as people sell domains.

how many domains do you control as a registrar?

what percentage of that is 500 less?

 

[Rob Monster]

how many domains do you control as a registrar?

what percentage of that is 500 less?

As of today, 777,292 domains under management, of which 364,104 directly on our accreditations. We are small but people know that our retention rate is rather high.

 

[frank-germany]

Most people have not really contemplated the meaning of life,

well, I did.

Most people conflate knowledge and wisdom as if they are the same. There are highly educated people, who embrace atheism, which they have the temerity to not recognize for being a religion. I don't.

not to believe the same nonsense as you do
doesn't make someone an atheist.

temerity = well I first had to look for the meaning..
I think it's pretty hefty term to use in this context.

Not to believe in a man-like creator person
doesn't make somebody atheist

And not to believe in a God at all
doesn't mean necessarily to follow a religion.

And to follow a religiously believe as an atheist
as you like to put it
doesn't make people being the same breed as you are.

 

[frank-germany]

I saw Joseph was attempting damage control but Rob has made the task impossible. The takeaway of this thread is that it's good to put some distance between yourself and your corporate role.
.

It was obvious that Joseph tried in a very sophisticated way to save the a** of epik as a company

Cudos

I didn't like his style
as I think it was purposely distracting.

But I respect that fact that he did it.

@Rob Monster
looks like you didn't understand /respect/value it.

 

[frank-germany]

As of today, 777,292 domains under management, of which 364,104 directly on our accreditations. We are small but people know that our retention rate is rather high.

what is the difference of "under management" and "accreditations" ?

 

[Rob Monster]

what is the difference of "under management" and "accreditations" ?

We integrate some trusted resellers and also we have customers who manage their domains from Epik before they transfer, e.g. DNS, forwarding and hosting do not require that we are the registrar.

Since you use Epik currently you probably realized that you can manage non-Epik domains for free from within the Epik control panel.

 

[JB Lions]

So how do you read charts like this:

Domain Count (November 2018)
Epik Inc. - 401,249
https://features.icann.org/compliance/registrars-list

You say you have 364,104 now? That would be a drop, or are they different numbers? Is that the Domain Count number, the 364,104?

 

[frank-germany]

We integrate some trusted resellers and also we have customers who manage their domains from Epik before they transfer, e.g. DNS, forwarding and hosting do not require that we are the registrar.

Since you use Epik currently you probably realized that you can manage non-Epik domains for free from within the Epik control panel.

yes thats what I thought it is
the external domains are not under epiks control
at least not mine

so you control 364,104 domains
and lost 500 since the new zealand post
and you feel like your are not affected?

you will more domains