Former Better.com exec alleges company misled investors ahead of SPAC – TechCrunch

One in all Higher.com’s former executives has filed a lawsuit towards the net mortgage lender, alleging that the corporate and its CEO Vishal Garg misled buyers when it tried to go public by way of a SPAC, experiences the Wall Road Journal.

Sarah Pierce served as govt vice chairman of buyer expertise, gross sales and operations at Higher.com earlier than parting methods with the corporate earlier this yr. At the moment, it was not clear if she left voluntarily or was requested to resign however Pierce says now in her go well with she was pushed out. 

In her lawsuit filed at present, in line with the Wall Road Journal, Pierce alleges that Higher.com misrepresented its enterprise and prospects in order that it might transfer ahead with a SPAC that may have given the corporate a post-money fairness worth of roughly $7.7 billion. The SPAC was delayed and has not but taken place.

Her grievance, experiences the Journal, alleges that each Garg and Higher’s “remedy of her constituted illegal retaliation, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional misery.”

On the time of her departure in February, TechCrunch reported that – in line with sources accustomed to inner happenings on the firm –  Pierce had tried to face up for the a whole bunch of the staff who the corporate laid off in December after the CEO publicly described them as lazy and nonproductive. That reportedly brought about “a variety of stress” between her and Garg and the board. Pierce was reportedly upset with the best way Garg publicly disparaged the staff, nearly all of whom had reported to her, after callously laying them off by way of Zoom.

TechCrunch has reached out to Higher.com and Pierce and can replace this story if and when both of them remark.

In the meantime, a supply accustomed to the lawsuit informed TechCrunch that Garg “was at all times exaggerating” the corporate’s numbers and “wouldn’t pay attention” to Pierce or another executives after they expressed issues. Pierce, the supply mentioned, was allegedly pushed out of the corporate for voicing her issues. 

Based on the S-4 filed by Aurora Acquisition Corp., the entity that Higher.com was to merge with, Pierce earned $856,061 final yr, obtained a $1 million bonus and was awarded $17.37 million in inventory choices.

Based on Forbes, this isn’t the primary time a feminine govt has accused the corporate of improper habits. The corporate in April of 2021 put former chief product officer Elana Kollner on administrative depart following allegations of bullying and different office grievances. 

The corporate has continued to make headlines quite a few instances over the previous six months. On Dec. 1, 2021, Higher.com laid off about 900 staff by way of a Zoom video name that ended up going viral. It was hardly the primary firm to put folks off over Zoom throughout a worldwide pandemic. However it was the way by which it was dealt with that offended so many.

Co-founder Garg was universally criticized for being chilly and unfeeling in his method. He additionally added insult to damage by days later publicly accusing affected staff of “stealing” from their colleagues and prospects by being unproductive.

On high of that, simply sooner or later earlier than, CFO Kevin Ryan despatched an e mail to staff saying that the corporate would have $1 billion on its steadiness sheet by the tip of that week. Within the weeks following the layoffs, Garg “apologized” and took a month-long “break.” In the meantime, staff detailed how he “led by worry,” and quite a lot of senior executives and two board members resigned.

Then, on March 8, the corporate laid off an estimated 3,000 of its remaining 8,000 staff within the U.S. and India and “unintentionally rolled out the severance pay slips too early.” 

In April, a submitting revealed that Higher.com swung to a lack of greater than $300 million final yr, a pointy turnaround from its worthwhile 2020. Garg can also be the goal of a number of lawsuits by PIMCO, Goldman Sachs and different buyers involving entities he managed.

In current months, quite a few events have reached out to TechCrunch, together with prospects who say they misplaced cash when the corporate botched their home closing, former staff who say they haven’t been awarded inventory choices that had been owed to them and nonetheless others who say they will’t gather unemployment as a result of Higher reportedly didn’t pay the suitable taxes.