One tweet started it all.
Seemed inevitable. But CEO’s don’t operate in a vacuum. They act in a manner that they believe will help them succeed. Boards of directors need to reflect on the culture they foster & support. What type of culture led to this CEO thinking his action would be rewarded? https://t.co/1L6DdZY8YW
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) December 11, 2021
Over a zoom call, Vishal Garg, CEO of Better.com, recently issued a decree to terminate 900 employees within minutes. He said employees were being laid off for reasons including the market, performance, and productivity. “If you’re on this call you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off,” he said. “Your employment here is terminated effective immediately.”
The news of this massive layoff has been the talk of the town on social media since then. Garg eventually apologized to his staff for the embarrassing incident, which made international news and spawned hundreds of jokes on social media sites.
Meanwhile, industrialist Anand Mahindra chimed in on the entrepreneur’s decision on Twitter, questioning if it would be fair to offer him a second chance.
I’m curious whether you think a CEO can survive after a blunder like this? Is it fair, or not, to allow a second chance…? https://t.co/sPDcr9qmYE
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) December 9, 2021
With almost 8.5 million followers on Twitter, Anand Mahindra is a very active user. Following Mahindra’s post about CEO Vishal Garg, his followers responded with their thoughts. One follower has replied on this, “It’s not like someone gives them a second chance! It’s about whether they have the sympathy needed to become a leader!”
Sir, it's not whether someone give him a second chance! It's about whether he has the empathy needed to be a leader !
— Ajaya Kumar V (@AjayaKumarVemul) December 9, 2021
Another follower has responded to Anand Mahindra’s tweet: “Your question is whether a CEO can avoid it. Certainly not. Lack of empathy for a CEO and low EQ is obvious. I don’t know whom he was trying to please. No wonder nowadays people are at least proud of the companies they are working for.”
Your question “Can a CEO survive this? “. Definitely not. For a CEO, lacking empathy and low EQ is pretty evident. Not sure whom he was trying to appease. No wonder people nowadays have less and less pride in the companies they work for.
— We6 (@Venky27) December 9, 2021
After the footage of the meeting went viral on social media, Better.com CEO Vishal Garg apologized for his behavior. Vishal Garg admitted that the layoffs were a terrible mistake. Garg expressed sorrow after the action, saying he “blundered the execution” of communicating the layoffs.
“I realize that the way I put this information forward worsened a difficult situation,” the CEO said in a letter.