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Abel Lenz (fired by Tim Armstrong)
On 9 August, AOL chief executive Tim Armstrong (pictured above) fired one of
his managers in front of about 1,000 employees on a company-wide conference
call ironically the call was about impending layoffs at local news network
Patch.com.
Abel, put the camera down. You re fired. Out, said Armstrong in the leaked
audio of the chat, dismissing Patch creative director Abel Lenz for pulling out
a camera during the meeting. After an awkward five-second silence, Armstrong
continued his meeting; he reportedly referenced the firing again five minutes
later, when he explained that he saw the company as a sports team s locker
room , and that he didn t want anyone giving the game plan away .
Andrew Mason
The resignation letter of the CEO of Groupon went viral after Andrew Mason sent
the following to his employees at the online coupon site: After four and a
half intense and wonderful years as CEO of Groupon, I ve decided that I d like
to spend more time with my family. Just kidding I was fired today. If you re
wondering why you haven t been paying attention (read the entirety of the
memo here). Instead of waiting for a leak, Mason published the email himself.
He was roundly applauded in technology circles for the equal parts funny, open
and candid nature of the message, and has since gone on to pursue his passions
as a musician, releasing a motivational, apparently autobiographical rock album
with song titles including Groupon Farewell Memo , Risin Above the Pack and
The Way to Work .
Vikram Pandit
Fresh off a positive earnings report, chief executive of Citigroup, Vikram
Pandit, walked into a meeting entirely unprepared for the three news releases
in front of him. The first said that Pandit had resigned, effective
immediately; the second stated he would resign at the end of the year, and the
third said he had been fired without cause. Completely blindsided, Pandit took
the first option. Although the exit was publicly characterised as Pandit s
decision, a New York Times account days later revealed how the firing happened
and how new Citi chairman, Michael O Neill, seemed to play a direct role in
orchestrating Pandit s resignation. (Getty)
Rick Wagoner
Rick Wagoner served as chairman and chief executive of General Motors for nine
years before being ousted in 2009 at the request of US President Obama himself.
General Motors had hemorrhaged with Wagoner at the wheel, with the company
losing more than $80 billion in the last four years he led the company. But it
still came as a surprise when the White House interceded directly. At a
Washington meeting with Obama s autos task force, Steven Rattner one of the
president s top auto advisers asked Wagoner to step down, effective
immediately. Wagoner s friend and colleague for more than 20 years, Fritz
Henderson, was tapped to take his place.
This was definitely the worst way I could think of to take on this job,
Henderson told the New York Times. It was an exceptionally painful weekend.
(Getty)
Sallie Krawcheck
Two years after she was tapped to be president of the Global Wealth &
Investment Management division of Bank of America, Sallie Krawcheck was ousted
from the position as part of a top-level restructuring between Bank of America
and Merrill Lynch. The silver lining to Krawcheck s dismissal? A neat $6
million severance payment. She went on to a burgeoning media career doling out
wisdom to women in the workplace and speaking out about the responsibilities of
financial advisers to their clients. (Getty)
Jared Keller
In what was characterised by Business Insider as The Great Social Media
Implosion of 2013 , Bloomberg social media editor Jared Keller was fired from
his position after another ousted social media editor, Matthew Keys, publicly
tweeted old private direct messages from Jared Keller whom Keys believed had
played a role in his dismissal.
Keller tweeted, Today was my last day at Bloomberg. It was a great run at a
great company. He has since become social media lead for digital news at Al
Jazeera America.
Teresa Sullivan
Staff, faculty and students at the University of Virginia were dumbfounded in
June, 2012, when they received an email stating president Teresa Sullivan was
stepping down due to a philosophical difference of opinion . This came after a
scandal-free two years at the post for Sullivan, who had excelled in prior
administrative positions at the University of Texas and the University of
Michigan.
As shock turned to outrage, something unusual happened: students and faculty
condemned the decision to oust Sullivan and publicly protested her dismissal.
Later in that same month, a politically appointed body overseeing the
university reinstated Sullivan to the position. She told the New York Times
several months later that she still didn t know why she was ousted in the first
place. (Getty)