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canyonwalkerAbout six weeks ago Better.com CEO Vishal Garg was in the news for firing 900 employees via Zoom (my blog from then). It wasn't just that he fired them in a callous manner, BTW. He also insulted them as idiots and literal thieves, continuing a pattern of communication creating a hostile work environment. Under pressure from the public and the board of directors he took a leave of absence a few days later (Daily Beast article, 10 Dec 2021). This week he came back from leave to resume his role as CEO, proclaiming himself a changed person.
In a memo announcing Garg coming back off leave, the Better board of directors crowed that it is “Moving forward with strong, dynamic CEO leadership" (Tech Crunch article, 18 Jan 2022). While everyone can certainly hope Garg is a better person now, I doubt he's changed. His tirades against employees during and after the mass firing weren't just one botched move; they were part of a pattern of hostile behavior stretching back years. The board's actions smack of the "Promise change and lay low until it blows over, then go back to business as usual" school of PR.
It must be nice to be Garg, being able to come back to his old job with the slate wiped clean, unlike the 900 employees he fired and the many who resigned over his behavior.
In a memo announcing Garg coming back off leave, the Better board of directors crowed that it is “Moving forward with strong, dynamic CEO leadership" (Tech Crunch article, 18 Jan 2022). While everyone can certainly hope Garg is a better person now, I doubt he's changed. His tirades against employees during and after the mass firing weren't just one botched move; they were part of a pattern of hostile behavior stretching back years. The board's actions smack of the "Promise change and lay low until it blows over, then go back to business as usual" school of PR.
It must be nice to be Garg, being able to come back to his old job with the slate wiped clean, unlike the 900 employees he fired and the many who resigned over his behavior.
