HubSpot founder and chief technology officer Dharmesh Shah is drawing backlash on social media for a 28-word LinkedIn post thanking the employees who the company laid off this week.
“My personal thanks to all of the people that HubSpot parted ways with today,” he wrote. “You helped make HubSpot the company it is. Best wishes with the next chapter.”
The cloud-based software provider announced on Tuesday that it is cutting 7% of its workforce, or roughly 660 workers. CEO Yamini Rangan told employees in a memo that the company is focused on “aligning our organization with our strategy” and the layoffs were “not driven by AI-related efficiencies.”
Reaction to Shah’s LinkedIn post has been mostly negative. Several users took exception to his tone, which they described as flat and understated.
“It felt so cold and impersonal,” wrote one commenter. “It read like ‘don’t let the door hit you on the way out’ to me.” “My mom would call [this an] ‘insincere gesture of good fellowship,” added another.
“Call it a layoff or firing,” another posted. “‘Parted ways’ seems to downplay this sad moment.”
“Thanking them for helping build the company and firing them at the same time seems to somehow miss the mark for me.”
Fast Company reached out to HubSpot for comment.
When companies lay off workers, experts say the most common mistake executives make is softening the message by using vague or unclear language, to make the situation more comfortable for themselves.
“Softening the message doesn’t land as kindness,” organizational and careers expert Karina Mangu-Ward wrote in Fast Company in June. “It reads as evasion, and people lose trust in everything that comes after.”
Last year, former Microsoft and Amazon HR leader Tammy Perkins expressed similar views in Fast Company, noting that executives who downplay layoffs or hide behind corporate jargon risk losing the trust of their remaining employees.
“What damages culture [after a layoff] is indifference, silence, or meaningless lip service,” she wrote. “[But] when leaders respond with honesty and care, disruption can become a catalyst for renewal.”
Executives who maintain consistent communication, answer tough questions, and signal openness to change can strengthen company culture even through difficult transitions.
“A stronger culture can emerge when leaders step into this moment with honesty and courage,” Perkins wrote.
