CEO who fired hundreds of employees over Zoom resuming full-time duties

Better.com CEO Vishal Garg, who fired 900 of his employees over a Zoom call meeting last month, is resuming his “full-time duties” with the company. 

In a letter to his employees obtained by CNN Tuesday, Garg said he used a leave of absence to “reflect on his leadership, reconnect with the values that make Better great and work closely with an executive coach.”

“I understand how hard these past few weeks have been. I am deeply sorry for the angst, distraction and embarrassment my actions have caused,” Garg wrote in the letter. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about where we are as a company and the type of leadership Better needs … and the leader I want to be.”

Garg also wrote that an outside law firm reviewed his company’s workplace culture and has implemented changes, which include adding more managers and a chief human resources officer, according to CNN. 

Garg made headlines last month for holding a Zoom meeting to tell 900 of his employees that they were laid off from their jobs. 

“If you’re on this call, you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off,” Garg said on the Zoom call. “Your employment here is terminated, effective immediately.”

Garg promised that HR would send a follow-up email to formally lay off employees, but a former employee said he immediately lost all access to his work account, CNN reported. 

In his letter, Garg also said he failed to show compassion for those who lost their jobs, calling it an “embarrassment.” 

“I failed to show the appropriate amount of respect and appreciation for the individuals who were affected and for their contributions to Better,” he wrote. “I own the decision to do the layoffs, but in communicating it I blundered the execution. In doing so, I embarrassed you.”