Better Home & Finance前首席执行官Vishal Garg在8月3日遭董事会罢免后，指控继任者Daniel Lewis通过欺骗获得董事会席位，进而策划了这次权力更迭[1]。Garg声称自己刚刚将公司带到盈利边缘，年销售额从2023年的7000万美元增至2024年预计的2亿美元[1]。
Garg已聘请律师Alex Spiro向董事会发函，表示拥有B类股份的特殊投票权，足以要求恢复其CEO职位[1]。Garg提议以每年1美元的薪资继续服职，直到公司恢复盈利[1]。
Lewis上任仅一周内，Better的股价下跌45%[1]。此前Better的估值从2021年高峰期的80亿美元大幅下滑至目前的3亿美元[1]。
Vishal Garg, who was removed as chief executive of Better Home & Finance on August 3, is now attempting to reclaim his position, alleging that his successor engineered the power shift through deception.[1] Garg claims he had recently steered the company toward profitability, with annual sales climbing from $70 million in 2023 to a projected $200 million for 2024.[1] However, within a week of Daniel Lewis assuming the CEO role following his July 27 board appointment, the company's stock price fell 45 percent.[1]
In response to his removal, Garg has retained attorney Alex Spiro of Quinn Emanuel to pursue his reinstatement.[1] He has written to the board asserting that he possesses sufficient voting power through his Class B shares, which carry special voting rights, to demand restoration of his CEO position.[1] As part of his pitch for return, Garg has proposed accepting an annual salary of just $1 until the company achieves profitability again.[1]
The company's trajectory underscores its financial challenges: valuation has declined from an $8 billion peak in 2021 to $300 million at present, while annual revenues fell from $1.5 billion in 2021 to $70 million by 2023.[1] Recently, Better reduced its lending origination costs by 50 percent through a partnership with Neo Home Loans.[1]