I want to take a moment to clear up something that has been greatly misunderstood. In 2016, a harassment claim was made against me at BetterWorks. The company took the claim seriously and promptly launched an independent investigation, bringing in an outside investigator who interviewed more than 15 people at the company. After a thorough review, the investigation concluded that there was no wrongdoing by me or the company, that “no harassment, no sexual harassment, nor any assault or sexual assault occurred”, “no discrimination occurred”, and “no company policies were violated.”
The claim was dismissed, and no action was taken against me by the Board of Directors – who at the time included Shona Brown, the head of HR at Google.
A year later, in 2017, the same former employee filed a very public lawsuit against me and BetterWorks. Because of the high-profile investors involved, the lawsuit received significant negative media attention. I continued as CEO for a year after the initial claim was investigated and resolved, but when the lawsuit brought so much press attention and distraction, it became increasingly difficult to remain in the role. As a result, I stepped down as CEO in 2017 after helping find my replacement. The lawsuit was later withdrawn and dismissed after an insurance payment was made.
People that know me know that I care deeply about women’s issues, and that I advocate for supporting as diverse and rich an environment for driving business results as possible. I spent many years, most recently at BetterWorks, creating an open, collaborative, diverse, inclusive, respectful, considerate, and flat organization. I am proud of so many aspects of BetterWorks, including the fact that 46% of our managers were female at the time (it has been 8 years now since I was there).
Despite these facts, the way the story was reported left many with the wrong impression. I know how easily things can be misinterpreted, and I’m sorry if anyone was confused or upset or angered by what they’ve read and what was reported. I also want to acknowledge the team at BetterWorks, who had to navigate a prolonged period of disruption because of this. I’m sorry for the challenges this created and appreciate those who have taken the time to understand the full picture.
Here is a letter from the Board of Directors addressed to me at that time: BetterWorks Board of Directors Letter
