Better.Com Loses More Top Executives

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Better.Com Loses More Top Executives
Better.Com Loses More Top Executives

Sarah Pierce, executive vice president of customer experience, sales, and operations, and Emanuel Santa-Donato, senior vice president of capital markets and growth, have both left the digital mortgage company,.

 

 

At this time, the circumstances surrounding their departures are unknown. According to sources familiar with the company’s internal affairs, Pierce in particular was trying to advocate for the hundreds of employees who were laid off in December, which caused “a lot of tension” between her and CEO Vishal Garg and the board. Pierce was reportedly irritated by Garg’s public disparagement of the employees, the majority of whom had reported to her, following their callous dismissal via Zoom.

Better.com, like Pierce and Santa-Donato, has not responded to requests for comment.

 

Their departures follow those of three other executives who left the company in the aftermath of the layoffs in December: Patrick Lenihan, vice president of communications; Tanya Gillogley, head of public relations; and Melanie Hahn, head of marketing. Pierce had been with Better.com since August 2016 as a “growth associate.” Santa-Donato joined the firm as a “capital markets associate” in January 2016.

 

Pierce addressed her departure on LinkedIn, writing:

Throughout my career, I was frequently asked, “What keeps you at Better?” From my first day to my last, my answer was always the same: the people. For the past six years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the brightest and hardest working people I’ve ever met.

 

I will miss my colleagues at Better. And to those who have left Better, it has been incredibly inspiring to see the incredible steps you are taking in your careers and the incredible companies you are joining.

 

Their departures come on the heels of the resignations of two board members, Raj Date and Dinesh Chropra, according to an internal email obtained on January 18. “While we do not comment on individuals’ decisions to leave the board, Raj and Dinish did not resign because of any disagreement with Better,” the Better.com board said in that email. We sincerely appreciate Raj and Dinesh’s significant contributions to the Better Board.”

 

We reported earlier this week that employees were leaving the company in “droves” after Garg returned to his role as CEO after a month-long break.

 

The loss of Pierce as a top executive may have a negative impact on morale among remaining employees, according to a current employee who wishes to remain anonymous, who noted that Pierce was generally well-regarded at Better.com.

 

“Sarah was one of the most, if not the most, beloved employees at Better over the last six years,” said that employee. She is solely responsible for the majority of our growth and success.”

 

The departures follow multiple reports that Garg oversaw a “culture of fear” at the company he co-founded in 2014.

 

Employees have shared horrifying details with TechCrunch anonymously, such as Garg making violent threats against employees, saying things like he’d “taser” people or “choke throats,” despite the fact that he is not known to have physically harmed anyone.

 

The fact that Garg is still CEO of the company despite all of the negative publicity and multiple lawsuits against him has left some of us perplexed. Surely, the company has lost business as a result of the damage to its reputation, and it will be interesting to see if it goes public as planned or if it fails miserably.