{"id":13322,"date":"2026-08-17T12:38:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T12:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=13322"},"modified":"2026-08-17T12:38:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T12:38:01","slug":"tech-ceo-who-sacked-employees-in-a-79-second-zoom-call-has-been-fired-tells-company-board-i-want-my-job-back-willing-to-work-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=13322","title":{"rendered":"Tech CEO who sacked employees in a 79-second Zoom call has been fired; tells company board: I want my job back, willing to work for &#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133295664,imgsize-71277,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg\" alt=\"Tech CEO who sacked employees in a 79-second Zoom call has been fired; tells company board: I want my job back, willing to work for ...\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"0\"\/>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>Better Home &amp; Finance fired its CEO Vishal Garg earlier this month. This ended his latest tenure at the mortgage technology company after several years of financial losses. This included a failed refinancing business and efforts to rebuild the company around artificial intelligence (AI).<!-- --> Garg, who became widely known after laying off about 900 employees during a 79-second Zoom call in 2021, is now asking the company&#8217;s board to reinstate him as CEO, offering to work for $1 a year until Better returns to profitability, after which he says he would step down.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">&#8220;It&#8217;s an acknowledgement that I&#8217;ve been doing this for 10 years, but execution hasn&#8217;t been perfect,&#8221; <\/span>Garg said. <span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">&#8220;I hope it gets resolved. I think the future still remains very bright for Better.&#8221;<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>Vishal Garg asks Better Home &amp; Finance board to reinstate him<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>Garg remains a member of Better&#8217;s board and says he has voting support through his Class B shares, which carry special voting powers, along with shares held by a group of early investors. He has retained lawyer Alex Spiro, a partner at Quinn Emanuel, and recently sent a letter to the board requesting reinstatement, asking it to reverse its August 3 decision.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">&#8220;It&#8217;s not about me,&#8221;<\/span> Garg said. <span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">&#8220;I care about delivering savings to people and helping them live the American Dream. <\/span><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">So when shareholders said, &#8216;You need to take a back seat,&#8217; I complied.&#8221;<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"29\"\/>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>Garg acknowledged that the 2021 Zoom layoffs damaged his reputation and said the incident remains associated with his tenure at Better. He described himself as &#8220;hard-nosed&#8221; while arguing that Lewis had convinced the board he had not pushed the company and its employees hard enough.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>Better board replaced Vishal Garg with <keyword id=\"38413203\" type=\"Denny\" weightage=\"20\" keywordseo=\"Daniel-Lewis\" source=\"keywords\">Daniel Lewis<\/keyword><\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/>Daniel Lewis, a hedge fund manager, joined Better&#8217;s board on July 27 and replaced Garg as CEO a week later. <!-- -->Garg said Lewis approached him about six months earlier with suggestions to reduce costs and improve profitability.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"44\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">&#8220;(Lewis&#8217;) thoughts about cost savings were good. His ideas about innovation were not,&#8221; <\/span>Garg argued. <span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">&#8220;It&#8217;s so much easier when we&#8217;re this close for someone to come in and say that they could have done better.&#8221;<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"48\"\/>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"50\"\/>Garg also accused Lewis of concealing his intentions while advising him and seeking a position on the board. <!-- -->&#8220;I suspect he always wanted to become CEO,&#8221; said Garg. <span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">&#8220;The board made a mistake.&#8221;<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"55\"\/>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"57\"\/>Lewis posted on X on August 4, &#8220;There was never a $BETR without @vishal_better. That demands respect.&#8221;<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"59\"\/>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"61\"\/>Better and Lewis did not respond to a request for comment.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"64\"\/>\u200b<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"66\"\/>The company&#8217;s stock has fallen 45% since Lewis became CEO, according to the report. Garg said some investors contacted him after his removal and urged him to return to the CEO role.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"69\"\/>Garg&#8217;s tenure has also included a leave of absence following the 2021 layoffs, a whistleblower lawsuit that was later dropped, a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation that did not result in action, and a 2023 SPAC merger after which the company&#8217;s stock fell sharply.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"71\"\/>\u200b<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/technology\/tech-news\/tech-ceo-who-sacked-employees-in-a-79-second-zoom-call-has-been-fired-tells-company-board-i-want-my-job-back-willing-to-work-for-\/articleshow\/133295575.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u200bBetter Home &amp; Finance fired its CEO Vishal Garg earlier this month. This ended his latest tenure at the mortgage technology company after several years of financial losses. This included a failed refinancing business and efforts to rebuild the company around artificial intelligence (AI). Garg, who became widely known after laying off about 900 employees [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"\u200bBetter Home &amp; Finance fired its CEO Vishal Garg earlier this month. This ended his latest tenure at the mortgage technology company after several years of financial losses. This included a failed refinancing business and efforts to rebuild the company around artificial intelligence (AI). Garg, who became widely known after laying off about 900 employees [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ceo-who-fired-900-workers-on-zoom-asks-better-board-for-his-job-back-for-1.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}