“Horrifying”: CEO’s Post On What He Learned After Firing Employee Sparks Discussion Online

Matthew Baltzell, the founder and CEO of Cap X Media, has sparked a discussion online after sharing a detailed breakdown of his meeting with an employee he fired earlier this month. Taking to LinkedIn, Mr Baltzell said that the entire meeting took 10 minutes, during which the employee was informed he was being laid off. The CEO explained that the former employee was offered a severance package and a reference for a future job, should he need it. Mr Baltzell also said that he kept the whole thing “short and direct” and the employee handled it “professionally and with grace”. 

“Stayed clear and honest. After the meeting, I sent a message over Slack to inform everyone that the employee was no longer with us, without giving details. Gossip doesn’t help anyone. I provided the ex-employee’s contact info to the team and encouraged them to reach out if they wished. This avoids any secrecy. This approach shows my team that if they ever have to leave, they’ll be treated with respect, not discarded like trash,” Mr Baltzell wrote. 

Mr Baltzell shared the post just a few days back. Since then his post has sparked outrage on social media, with many calling it tone-deaf. 

“You just made someone’s exit incredibly problematic for yourself,” wrote one user. “This is horrifying. A real leader doesn’t need to brag about how good of a job they thought they did in firing someone,” said another. “If I’ve fired someone, the last thing I want to do is post about it on social media,” wrote one user. 

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However, some users also praised the CEO for his leadership. “That’s true leadership right there, Matthew. Maintaining a positive company culture even during challenging times is what defines great leadership,” wrote one user. 

“You handled this exactly how it should be handled which speaks to your leadership skills Matthew. I have witnessed a TON of bad exits over the years, including one I’ll never forget as long as I live. An email ‘meet me tomorrow morning at 9 am at the airport in Terminal ‘x’, and bring your computer and corporate credit card with you’, accompanied by zero explanation, zero warning, and zero reason. Spoiler- it ended up getting reversed by senior leadership,” shared another.