No, Wayfair’s CEO has not resigned
If your time is short
- Wayfair said CEO Niraj Shah did not step down.
There’s no evidence to support a viral conspiracy theory that online home goods retailer Wayfair is trafficking children on its website. And claims that the company’s CEO has stepped down in the fallout from this fake scandal are also wrong.
“Wayfair CEO steps down,” reads the text of an image being shared on Facebook. The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Wayfair’s CEO and co-chairman, Niraj Shah, founded the company with Steve Conine in 2002, according to descriptions of Wayfair’s executive leadership team on its website.
A spokesperson for Wayfair told PolitiFact that Shah has not resigned.
We rate this post False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, July 10, 2020
PolitiFact, How the Wayfair child sex-trafficking conspiracy theory went viral, July 15, 2020
Wayfair, Executive leadership, visited July 17, 2020
Newsweek, False rumors say Wayfair CEO stepped down after sex trafficking conspiracy, July 15, 2020
Reuters, Fact check: Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah has not stepped down, July 14, 2020
Email interview with John Costello, corporate communications manager, Wayfair, July 17, 2020