Dbrand trolls Indian man on X, offers him $10,000 in apology after backlash

The Canadian company, known for its irreverent style of banter with customers online, was accused of racism when it poked fun at an Indian man's surname

by e4m Desk
Published: Apr 12, 2024 3:58 PM | 3 min read

The internet humbled Canadian brand Dbrand who took potshots at an Indian customer by mocking his surname. Backlash followed and the company not only apologised but also offered the customer $10,000 as a token of apology.

It all started when a user who went by the name Bhuwan Chitransh wrote to Dbrand on X, complaining about the quality of the company's Macbook skin.

⁦@dbrand⁩ bought this skin a couple months back. Couldn't even remain the same color after just 2 months. What should I do?#dbrandcomplaint pic.twitter.com/3Uyvn0ZO48

— Bhuwan Chitransh (@BhuwanChitransh) April 8, 2024

In reply, Dbrand chose to poke fun at Chitransh's surname, tweeting: "Your last name is basically s**t rash, be serious." The tweet has since been deleted.

Things escalated quickly in the comment section with some trolls showcasing blatant racism towards Indians.

By trolling a well-meaning customer and making fun of ethnic names, DBrand invited the wrath of the Indian internet and accused it of racism.

Marques Keith Brownlee, professionally as MKBHD, an American YouTuber and professional ultimate frisbee player, known for his tech-focused videos, openly criticised the brand and refused to collaborate with them further.

@dbrand Won't be working with dbrand until that original tweet is deleted, at least. You're allowed to make shitty jokes, but the internet has made it pretty clear what it think about this one, and the harm from it is unnecessary

I've been around long enough to see a LOT of…
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) April 11, 2024

However, going by the brand's previous posts on X, it's clear that mock feuding with its followers is part of its social media strategy. Dbrand is known to have an irreverent style of humour and indulge in well-intentioned banters with users on X.

"Yes - we made fun of a guy's name. It was a huge fumble," said the company in a tweet, stating that it apologised to the customer and offered him $10,000. That being said, the company reiterated that it won't stop poking fun at customers despite the recent debacle.

Here's the tweet:

Well that escalated quickly.

1. Yes - we made fun of a guy's name. It was a huge fumble.

2. We apologized to him directly and offered him $10,000 as a gesture of goodwill.

3. We've been poking fun at customers on social media for over a decade now. We're not going to stop, but…
— dbrand (@dbrand) April 10, 2024

Soon after, netizens accused Dbrand of offering "hush money," to which the company replied with another tweet, this time, sharing the contents of its message to Chitransh: