Better.com CEO On Massive Zoom Layoff: 'I Blundered The Execution'
By Fiyin Olowokandi on December 8, 2021 at 8:56 AM EST
After wreaking havoc and firing a whopping 900 workers over a Zoom call, Better.com CEO Vishal Garg is apologizing for his disgusting approach to laying off his staff.
Garg issued a statement condemning his manner of execution. However, he still firmly stands behind his decision to fire nine percent of his workforce just three weeks before Christmas.
Vishal Garg Apologizes To His Staff
According to 9 News, after the dehumanizing layoff went viral on social media platforms, Garg released an internal memo and apologized to his staffers for the manner in which he fired their colleagues. He wrote in the company-wide email:
"I own the decision to do the layoffs, but in communicating it I blundered the execution. In doing so, I embarrassed you. I realise the way I communicated this news made a difficult situation worse."
Garg added that he failed to show respect to the affected workers and promised to do better in the future. "I am committed to learning from this situation and doing more to be the leader that you expect me to be," he vowed.
.@betterdotcom’s CEO @vishalgarg_ lays off ~900 employees right before the holidays and ahead of the company’s public market debut.
The firm also got a $750 million cash infusion from its backers THIS WEEK, which include @SoftBank. pic.twitter.com/F8EfSkCRF6
— Bucky with the Good Arm (@benjancewicz) December 3, 2021
The mortgage company, which is valued at $6.9 billion and has the prestigious unicorn status reportedly received $750 million cash a day before letting its workers go. Better.com has also bagged the No. 1 spot on LinkedIn's Top Startups for two consecutive years.
Firing 900 Workers Over Zoom
As The Blast previously shed light on the issue, workers endured the unthinkable during a town hall meeting over Zoom where Garg dropped the bomb without any show of compassion.
In the short video call that lasted a few minutes, Garg told his now-former employees, "This isn't news that you're going to want to hear…If you're on this call, you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off. Your employment here is terminated effective immediately."
He reportedly logged off immediately, leaving the workers in chaos and utter confusion. Defending his rather cruel actions, the CEO claimed that "at least 250" of the people fired only worked 2 hours daily but clocked in 8 hours, thereby stealing from the company and its customers.
However, there was no evidence of Garg's claims. This isn't the first time the famous CEO has acted irrationally towards his workers and colleagues.
After laying off hundreds, Better CEO told remaining employees that "We should have done this three months ago" in a leaked video recording. https://t.co/PXKTGGAc7N
— Alex Nicoll (@alexonicoll) December 2, 2021
A Threat To Burn A Business Partner Alive
According to reports, Garg has been quite erratic in the workplace the past months. One of such bizarre incidents was when he threatened to staple a former colleague to the wall and "burn him alive."
He was also known for saying bothersome things in the office and being verbally abusive towards his staff. For example, a recently earthed 2020 email saw Garg accusing his workers of being "too slow" and calling them "dumb dolphins."
Garg also constantly drops the F-word during meetings and threatens his workers with layoffs at the slightest hiccups.