CEO posts 'crying' selfie while talking about layoffs, gets slammed by Internet

Braden Wallake, CEO of marketing company HyperSocial, faced criticism after he posted a picture of himself crying on LinkedIn.

The picture accompanied a post about layoffs within his company.

"This will be the most vulnerable thing I'll ever share," it starts. "I've gone back and forth whether to post this or not."

Wallake goes on to say that the company had to lay off a few employees, and that unlike other layoffs on LinkedIn, these were not because of the economy or any other reason, but because of himself.

"My fault," he says. "I made a decision in February and stuck with that decision for far too long. Now, I know my team will say that "we made that decision together", but I lead us into it. And because of those failings, I had to do today, the toughest thing I've ever had to do."

He says that he wants people to now that "not every CEO out there is cold-hearted and doesn't care when he/she have to lay people off."

"Days like today, I wish I was a business owner that was only money driven and didn't care about who he hurt along the way. But I'm not," says Wallake.

The CEO continued with heartfelt compliments for the people he laid off, calling them "people with great hearts, and great souls."

"I know it isn't professional to tell my employees that I love them. But from the bottom of my heart, I hope they know how much I do. Every single one. Every single story. Every single thing that makes them smile and every single thing that makes them cry. Their families. Their friends. Their hobbies."

"I can't think of a lower moment than this," he concludes.

The post has over 6,000 comments and over 30,000 likes. Most people slammed the CEO as "cringeworthy", saying that he only wanted attention on the platform.

"A little restraint might be good," says one user, referring to the selfie.

Another user says: "I was just laid off - along with many others. If my CEO sent this I'd probably lose my mind. You're crying? I'm crying."

"This is one of those posts that must have felt like a “good idea” at 2am, but should never have seen the light of day," says another comment.

However, many users came to the CEO's defence, calling it a bold move. Wallake has used the virality of the post to find jobs for those that he laid off. Others have lauded his strength in posting a picture of himself crying.

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