CEO posts crying selfie on LinkedIn after firing employees; Internet divided

By Team Newsable | First Published Aug 11, 2022, 3:34 PM IST

In his detailed post, the CEO admitted that he made the mistake of sticking with a decision that put his employees in a difficult situation.

The CEO of Hyper Social and Hyper Sphere, Braden Wallake, took to LinkedIn to post a crying selfie and a guilt-ridden post about his company's recent layoffs. The CEO admitted in his detailed post that he made the mistake of sticking with a decision that put his employees in a difficult situation.

Braden Wallake wrote, while sharing a photo of himself in tears, "This is going to be the most vulnerable thing I've ever shared. I've been debating whether or not to post this. Just a few employees had to be let go. I've seen a lot of layoffs on LinkedIn in the last few weeks. The majority of these are due to the economy or other factors. Ours? It was my fault."

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Wallake admitted that the layoffs were the most difficult thing he had ever done due to one of his decisions. "I decided in February and stuck to it for far too long. Now, I know my team will say, 'We made that decision together, but I led us into it.' Because of those failings, I had to do the most difficult thing I've ever had to do today. We've always put people first. And we will always be," he added.

He added, "On days like today, I wish I was a business owner who was only concerned with increasing profits at whatever cost. However, I am not. So, I just want people to understand that not every CEO is cold-hearted and doesn't care if they have to lay off employees."

"I'm sure hundreds of thousands of others feel the same way I do. The ones you don't hear about. Because they did not fire 50, 500, or 5000 employees, they laid off one, two, or three people. One, two, or three would still be alive if better decisions had been made. I know it's not professional to express my feelings for my employees. But, from the bottom of my heart, I hope they understand how much I care," he further explained that he didn't know how many employees the company had fired.

"Every single one. Every single story. Everything that makes them smile and everything that makes them cry. Their family. Their friends. Their pastimes, I've always hired people based on who they are as a person. People with great hearts and souls. And I can't think of a worse time than this," the CEO of a social networking company concluded his LinkedIn post.

The post received over 31,300 reactions and 500 shares. There were also thousands of mixed reactions in the comments section.

"What did you decide in February, what led you to make it, and why did it turn out that way? That would be beneficial," an individual wrote Braden Wallake's response, "I intend to shed more light on this once the craziness dies down. Keep me to it."

Another person stated, "I can't fully judge because I don't know everything you've done to avoid layoffs, but I've lived on my savings for months while ensuring payroll was met. In difficult times, the person at the top should be willing to go without if necessary."

One LinkedIn user said, "Please don't be depressed by the rude comments. I'm sure you're hurting and feeling much guilt right now, regardless of your intentions with the photo. I can only say that the people who were rude below would never have the audacity to speak to you in person. They'd probably pat you on the back or gossip about you behind your back. That's the reality."

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