one investor as “sewage.” An internal cultural review prompted by Garg’s behavior found he had “failed to set a tone at the top that supported a strong culture of internal controls,” according to an SEC filing, noting the company was now “less effective than others in our industry at capturing potential customers” than its competitors due to high attrition rates among senior management.
“You look very smart when times are good, and when times get challenging is when you get challenged as a leader and a CEO and I don't think he's navigated that well,” said a current investor in Better, who requested anonymity. “His arrogance caught up with him.”Other investors echoed that sentiment. One said he had been dismayed by Garg’s conduct since last year. “We have not really been actively supporting the company since [he fired workers on Zoom],” the investor said.
Jessica Shaefer, an external public relations consultant for Better, said in a statement that “becoming a public company positions Better for long-term growth.” Shaefer didn’t answer questions about Garg’s leadership or whether management believed Better had a future as a profitable company.to one of its backers, Kamran Ansari, who said he believed Garg was the best person to lead the company.