that Better.com, a digital mortgage lender that once held the promise of revolutionizing the home loan industry, suffered a massive faceplant in its first day of trading. As the company began its journey on Wall Street this week, its shares plunged by 93 percent in one day, from an opening at over $16 to a mere $1.19 by mid-day.The company’s decision to go public was facilitated through a merger with the special purpose acquisition company Aurora Acquisition Corp.
But interest rates are not the only challenge to Better.com’s public debut. The company’s tumultuous past has also come under the spotlight including the decision to slash its workforce by 91 percent within a span of 18 months. The company’s bumbling CEO, Vishal Garg, was quoted saying, “I was not disciplined over the past 18 months,” further admitting, “We made $250 million last year, and you know what? We probably pissed away $200 million. We probably could have made more money last year.
. Recognizing the need for change, Garg mentioned undergoing “a lot of leadership training” in an effort to rebuild trust both internally and with potential investors. He emphasized his commitment by stating, “I’ve worked really, really hard to change the way that I show up to the team every day, and to be more empathetic and to treat them with the same level of kindness that I showed our customers.