Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR, recently reignited controversy surrounding Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, publicly questioning Piker's past statements regarding the death of Brian Thompson and an accusation of "electrocating dogs." Luckey's tweet, shared on April 23, 2026, stated, > "I know everyone is busy talking about the NYT interviewer smiling and nodding enthusiastically as Hasan Piker says the murder of Brian Thomson is understandable because he was guilty of 'social murder', but I want to focus on him electrocuting dogs."
The accusation regarding Piker's dog, Kaya, stems from a viral clip during an October 7, 2025, livestream. In the footage, Kaya yelped after moving out of frame, leading many viewers to speculate that Piker had activated a shock collar. Piker, a prominent political commentator, denied these claims, asserting that the device was a vibrating training collar equipped with an AirTag, and the dog's yelp was due to an accidental self-clipping incident.
Despite Piker's denial, the incident drew significant online backlash and attention from animal rights organization PETA. PETA issued a statement emphasizing the "dangerous and downright cruel" nature of shock collars, though they acknowledged Piker's denial and expressed hope for its veracity. Critics further fueled the controversy by highlighting a green blinking light on Kaya's collar, which some identified as characteristic of shock collars, and recirculated an older clip where Piker described such devices as "incredibly effective."
Fellow streamers, including Ethan Klein, a long-time rival, openly criticized Piker, with Klein calling the incident "horrifying animal cruelty." The online debate intensified as some users pointed to alleged inconsistencies in Piker's explanations and claims that a friend inadvertently revealed it was a shock collar. The controversy, dubbed "Collargate" or "Dogtober 7th" by some, continues to be a point of contention within the streaming community.
