WATCH: CEO axes 900 staffers via ZOOM, accuses them of STEALING
Clips of the Zoom call have caused outrage online, it’s particularly the CEO’s unsympathetic tone that strikes a chord with many
About 900 employees from a real estate company got the unexpected when they logged into a Zoom meeting on Wednesday: As opposed to a festive season message from their boss or a regular company update, CEO Vishal Garg told his staff they were fired, with immediate effect.
To top things off, Garg, who heads Better.com, a US-based real estate company, then accused his former employees of “stealing from our customers” by not being productive. Videos of the Zoom call have been posted on social media networks and YouTube – for many, the clip strikes a chord because of Garg’s unapologetic and unsympathetic tone as well as callous manner in which he decided to let go of the staffers.
“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,”
Vishal Garg, CEO of Better.com
In the Zoom video, Garg sits at a white table, donning a shirt and a blue vest, and tells the workers that the “challenging decision” is his — and that it’s the second time he has had to lay off workers.
“The last time I did it, I cried. This time I hope to be stronger,” he tells them.
However, the decision to terminate the employ of 900 people definitely comes as a surprise, particularly because Better.com had received $750 million in funding from investors just days before. Founded in 2016, the company sells bond services for potential homeowners online, promising to help buyers find a rate within seconds and get approved for a bond within minutes. The company is backed by the likes of Japanese investment company SoftBank and the financial services firms Goldman Sachs and Ally.
CEO ACCUSES EMPLOYEES OF STEALING
As if that Zoom call wasn’t enough, Better.com’s CEO recently admitted to being the anonymous author of a scathing blog post that slammed the company’s employees on the professional network Blind.
“You guys know that at least 250 of the people terminated were working an average of 2 hours a day while clocking 8 hours+ a day in the payroll system? They were stealing from you and stealing from our customers who pay the bills that pay our bills. Get educated,” he added.
Meanwhile, three of the company’s top executives have reportedly resigned, in the wake of the backlash over the Zoom video. According to Business Insider, the company’s head of marketing Melanie Hahn, head of public relations Tanya Hayre Gillogley and vice president of communications Patrick Lenihan have all stepped down from their posts.