BharatPe CEO Suhail Sameer recently broke his silence regarding the Ashneer Grover VS BharatPe board row. In his words, the entire saga regarding Ashneer Grover was “just an employee going completely bonkers”. He further said that Ashneer did what he figured best for the company and Suhail will do the same. Suhail’s statements came in an interview with financial daily Moneycontrol.
“I think whatever happened was basically an employee going slightly bonkers, which can happen to any company and happens in a lot of companies. We just took notice of the issue and solved it, and a lot of credit goes to the board and investors for also standing by us. The other thing is, there was no law broken,” Suhail was quoted saying.
In his interview, Suhail also said mentioned how BharatPe will go through a cultural shift. Suhail said how he envisions a workplace where employees feel excited to come to work, a place where they can work extremely hard while also enjoying their time beyond. The interview also had Suhail shedding some light on where he sees the company going forward.
The Facts of the Matter
In 1985, a visionary yet wet behind ears Steve Jobs had to surrender his position as Apple’s CEO and placed the company in a turbulent purgatory. Less than a decade later, when PC started winning battles against Apple Macintosh, Steve Jobs was again asked to join Apple. And the rest, is as they say, history.
The story of BharatPe’s Ashneer Grover and him getting cornered by his board members, and then quitting the company he created, is similar to that of Steve Jobs. Will Grover be an Indian Steve Jobs? Only time will tell.
Suhail Sameer on Ashneer Grover-BharatPe Row
Recently BharatPe CEO Suhail Sameer finally broke his silence regarding the matter and called the entire saga as “an employee going completely bonkers”. In an interview to Moneycontrol, Sameer was quoted saying, “I think whatever happened was basically an employee going slightly bonkers, which can happen to any company and happens in a lot of companies. We just took notice of the issue and solved it, and a lot of credit goes to the board and investors for also standing by us. The other thing is, there was no law broken.”
Also Read: Shark Tank’s Aman Gupta and Anupam Mittal Check Out Ashneer Grover’s Infamous ‘10 Crore Table’
“Ashneer was trying to do best for company”: Suhail Sameer
Staying away from lambasting Grover directly, the current BharatPe CEO said that every new leader has their own vision on the company and further added that he in no way was saying what Ashneer did was right or wrong.
“A lot of these things are contextual, every leader tries to do the best for the company and I am sure Ashneer was trying to do the best for the company,” Sameer said. He further added that he wants to create a workplace where people can work hard, and enjoy their time beyond.
Also Read: Ashneer Grover Shares Picture of Alleged Rs 1 Crore Dining Table, Says “Not Even 0.5% of That”
BharatPe to Go Through Cultural Shift
Suhail Sameer, who was hired by Ashneer Grover himself in 2020, said that BharatPe will be going through a cultural shift. For that, the company has announced ESOP (employee stock option plan). Every employee, irrespective of his/her designation, will be an owner of BharatPe. To drive trust, the company has also incorporated elements that include gym memberships, insurance coverage changes, focus on wellness etc.
Suhail Sameer also said that Ashneer’s relationship as a shareholder will continue to be. “Ashneer is out of the picture from a company operating point of view. That’s all I care about. Whatever he wants to do with his equity, what investors want to do with his equity…my job is to keep the business running and take it to IPO,” Suhail was quoted in the Moneycontrol report.
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