Digital mortgage company Better.com, once a beacon of the fintech world, faced a harsh reality check as its stock plummeted 93 percent upon its Wall Street debut this week. Better.com became notorious when bumbling CEO Vishal Garg fired more than 900 employees over Zoom just before Christmas in 2021.
Fast Company reports 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.
Better.com boss Vishal Garg
The company’s decision to go public was facilitated through a merger with the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Aurora Acquisition Corp. However, the timing of this move has raised eyebrows across the financial sector. The current real estate landscape presents a bleak picture, with mortgage rates soaring to levels not seen since the year 2000. This challenging environment, coupled with homeowners’ reluctance to enter the market due to existing low-rate mortgages, has created a crunch for mortgage companies.
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.”
Garg’s leadership has been a point of contention, especially after he fired 900+ employees over Zoom just before Christmas and a leaked video showcased him attributing a myriad of reasons for the layoffs, ranging from market dynamics to the performance of the employees who were let go. 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.”
Read more at Fast Company here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan