Vishal Garg, an Indian who is based in New York and is the CEO of the company named Better.com, has been on the other side of backlash after he recently fired as many as 900 employees over a Zoom call. According to NDTV, he said that “market efficiency, performance and productivity” were the reasons behind the mass lay-off.
The 900 employees who were laid off made up approximately 9% of the company’s total workforce. A video of the Zoom call was posted online by an employee who too was laid off. He can be heard saying, “F*ck you dude” as the sad news was shared.
“This is the second time in my career I’m doing this and I do not want to do this. The last time I did it, I cried. This time, I hope to be stronger. 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,” said Vishal Garg on the call.
Have a look at the video here:
.@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
This isn’t the first time Vishal Garg has been on the receiving end of massive criticism. According to News18, Forbes had got hold of one of Garg’s emails to his employees that read: “You are TOO DAMN SLOW. You are a bunch of DUMB DOLPHINS and… DUMB DOLPHINS get caught in nets and eaten by sharks. SO STOP IT. STOP IT. STOP IT RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE EMBARRASSING ME.”
NDTV further reports that after the video call, Garg “lashed out” at his employees for being “lazy and unproductive”.
Several people online slammed the CEO for his behavior. Some even highlighted that he put the blame on his employees while it’s his fault that his business isn’t running.
Meanwhile the media is obsessed with covering people quitting their jobs instead of covering slime like this.
— Trina (@gamingangel) December 6, 2021
Okay. So you are saying , these guys aren’t working. Then what are the managers doing? Say it straight Vishal, you don’t have business and you cannot take that in. Don’t put blame on employees.
— Maverick (@Shankar_400) December 6, 2021
I’m calling on @softbank to review their cash infusion to this company. Did they really need it? Do you want to be associated with a business like this? Are they the company they told you that they are?
— Jonathan Fox (@JonathanAFox154) December 6, 2021
This is what is happening during pandemics, while rich use it – we are silently being stripped off all the normal treatment and rights and they just laugh at us raking over all the Worlds money
— Viosna (@ViosnaA) December 6, 2021
These type of CEO’s are just blaming and punishing their employees for the fault of their own bad decisions…….
— WorldStall (@WorldStall) December 7, 2021
They learnt nothing from covid. Layoffs like these are the reason attrition rates are so high in the tech world these days.
— aditya dahiya (@catman638) December 6, 2021
What do you think of this incident? Tell us.