Controversial online satirist Leslie Nassar, who caused a stir with his impersonation of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, has resigned his position at Telstra.
Leslie Nassar
(Credit: Leslie Nassar)
Nassar revealed the move to ZDNet.com.au this afternoon, but wouldn't comment further on whether he had lined up a new position yet, or what it might be. His last day at Telstra will be 21 August.
Holding the title of senior emerging technology specialist (mobile) at Telstra, Nassar was one of the telco's experts in next-generation mobile platforms such as those offered by Apple's iPhone and Google's Android platforms.
He worked in the telco's chief technology officer under CTO Hugh Bradlow, who the satirist at one stage launched an abusive blog assault against, telling him to "go f*** yourself".
The Fake Stephen Conroy Twitter account gained a critical mass of followers on Twitter earlier this year, leading to public acknowledgement from the real communications minister and ongoing speculation about Nassar's identity.
Nassar himself contributed several satirical articles under the Fake Stephen Conroy pen name to sites such as ZDNet.com.au and Crikey.
After he finally outed himself publicly on Twitter, a series of events led to Nassar famously claiming Telstra had sacked him in March this year, a claim the telco immediately denied, noting it had, however, subjected him to disciplinary action for statements online about Telstra. Nassar has worked at Telstra since October 2007; he has previously held roles at the ABC, Cooeey and Legion Interactive.
This guy is a complete and utter turkey and should have been fired long ago by Telstra.
This comes from someone who loathes everything Telstra stands for....