Braden Wallake: Internet shreds CEO who posted video of him crying after laying-off employees
COLUMBUS, OHIO: The CEO of an online marketing firm got roasted on social media after he posted an awkward selfie while announcing layoffs. He posted a picture of himself crying after laying off many of his employees. It was revealed that just two employees had actually been fired.
'Hyper Social' founder Braden Wallake wrote a long statement on LinkedIn on Tuesday, August 9 to express his sorrow about laying off the staff. Wallake founded Columbus, Ohio-based marketing services firm 'Hyper Social' in 2016.
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Wallake in his lengthy statement wrote, "I know it isn’t professional to tell my employees that I love them. But from the bottom of my heart, I hope they know how much I do." He added, "I can’t think of a lower moment than this." On Wednesday, he admitted that just two of his colleagues had been let go. Noah Smith, a South Dakota-based sales and account management specialist was one of the two employees fired by Wallake.
Speaking to Motherboard, Wallake said that both of the laid-off employees were "over-the-top nice" about it and "assured" him and his girlfriend Chucta that they were "going to be okay." He stated, "I was just sitting here at my desk, just kind of crying, I guess, and decided to make the post because I have seen a lot on LinkedIn recently of how awful business owners and CEOs are for laying off their employees and that they're laying off employees while they're getting their third house in the Bahamas or wherever." His girlfriend Chucta is his business partner, who fired the second employee.
The post that Wallake shared quickly went viral, receiving more than 20,000 likes in less than a day and it has stirred a heating debate among people in comments with some of them calling it "cringeworthy and tacky." One user commented, "How about using your network to help those employees find new jobs by tagging them and putting them in the spotlight, as opposed to whining about making difficult decisions as a leader and posting a crying selfie? This is one of the most out of touch posts I’ve seen in a long time." Another user wrote, "I am sorry, your post causes bad feelings at me. This is more about YOUR feelings and not about the feelings of the people you had to lay off. That looks a bit like self-pity." Some defended Wallake and said, "What about this post in which he admits his faults, failures and expresses his anguish at the hurt he’s caused made you feel the need to pile on?"
In response to his crying post, Wallake wrote, "Hey everyone, yes, I am the crying CEO. No, my intent was not to make it about me or victimize myself. I am sorry it came across that way. It was not my place to out the employees’ names publicly. What I want to do now, is try to make better of this situation and start a thread for people looking for work. Here it is - comment away. This is for YOU to start a new future. To highlight YOU. People seeking new work: Post your resume, desired job title, qualifications. Employers: here’s an opportunity to hire amazing people."