- Braden Wallake, CEO of HyperSocial, posted a tearful photo on LinkedIn on August 9.
- Along with the photo, Wallake described the emotional toll of laying off employees.
A CEO is getting flak for sharing a tearful selfie earlier this week after laying off two employees.
Braden Wallake, CEO of marketing startup HyperSocial, posted the "crying CEO" selfie to LinkedIn earlier this week.
"This will be the most vulnerable thing I'll ever share," Wallake lay off "...We just had to layoff a few of our employees."
"I made a decision in February and stuck with that decision for far too long," Wallake wrote. "And because of those failings, I had to do today, the toughest thing I've ever had to do."
In the lengthy post, Wallake said the layoffs were his fault, and that he couldn't think of a "lower moment."
"So, I just want people to see," he continued, "that not every CEO out there is cold-hearted and doesn't care when he/she have to lay people off."
But, as more than 30,000 tech workers lost their jobs in July, many commenters have described the post — with its photo of Wallake in tears — as disingenuous and self-indulgent.
As of Friday afternoon there were more than 7,600 comments on the post. Some commenters lauded Wallake for "taking ownership of the situation," but many more criticized the CEO as "tone deaf."
"That selfie, geez," wrote a real estate agent. "A little restraint might be good."
"I was just laid off," a brand strategist said. "...If my CEO sent this I'd probably lose my mind. You're crying? I'm crying. We're crying. You still have your job. Imagine if we all posted pictures of us crying? We'd never get hired, because we are forced to be resilient in our industries."
"This is one of those posts that must have felt like a 'good idea' at 2 a.m., but should never have seen the light of day," wrote a professional start-up mentor. "Even if the intentions were good, it comes off as incredibly manipulative….especially with the 'crying selfie.'"
Despite the backlash, Wallake told PR Week he doesn't regret posting the pic because "a lot of good" has come from it.
"I am getting countless messages from other business owners saying, 'love this, been there, worst feeling, right there with you,'" he told the outlet.
"No, my intent was not to make it about me or victimize myself. I am sorry it came across that way," Wallake wrote in a follow-up post on LinkedIn. He said he didn't say more about the two people who were laid off because "it was not my place to out the employees' names publicly."
Wallake also encouraged job-seekers to drop resumes in the comments and for job-seekers to consider this a hiring opportunity. "What I want to do now is try to make better of this situation," he wrote.
Noah Smith, the former director of client relations at HyperSocial, addressed Wallake's post on Wednesday and said he didn't think he'd be known as "the guy who was let go by the crying CEO on LinkedIn," but that he didn't harbor resentment. "I've had many many LinkedIn messages offering me interviews, resources, etc. and I couldn't be more thankful. I'm excited for what comes next."
"To those who would look to hire me," Smith added, "I'm only interested in working for people like Braden Wallake who has a positive outlook on life."
Braden Wallake did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.