Better.com CEO Vishal Garg back to work after ‘break to reflect on leadership’

Better.com CEO Vishal Garg, better known as the boss who fired 900 employees over a video call, is back to work after “taking a break from his full-time duties to reflect on his leadership”.

The company’s board said it had confidence in Garg, who founded the start-up in 2016.

“As you know, Better’s CEO Vishal Garg has been taking a break from his full-time duties to reflect on his leadership, reconnect with the values that make Better great and work closely with an executive coach,” the board said in an email to staff on Tuesday, according to media reports. “We are confident in Vishal and in the changes he is committed to making to provide the type of leadership, focus and vision that Better needs at this pivotal time.”

Garg had made headlines and drawn a lot of criticism last December for his sudden decision to fire 900 staff from India and the US –  about 15 per cent of his workforce – brutally over a Zoom call, in which he said: “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.”

Also read: ‘This isn’t news you’ll want to hear’: CEO of Better.com fires 900 staffers on Zoom call

An employee of the company recorded the meeting on her phone, which later went viral.

The CEO later sent out an apology to his employees. “I failed to show the appropriate amount of respect and appreciation for the individuals who were affected, and for their contributions to Better. I realise the way I communicated the news made a difficult situation worse,” he wrote in the letter, adding: “I am deeply sorry and am committed to learning from this situation and doing more to be the leader that you expect me to be.”

Days later, the board said Garg was “taking time off” after the “regrettable events”.

A search is underway for new executives at the company, including a chairman, a president and a chief human resources officer, the board has reportedly said now.