Better.com CEO's infamous firings in US added 1,000 employees in India

Factors including the workforce reduction and negative media coverage 'detrimentally affected Better's productivity and financial results,' the company said

When Better.com Chief Executive Officer Vishal Garg fired 900 staffers on Zoom late last year, the cuts essentially moved a larger portion of its workforce offshore.

The online mortgage lender had been aggressively hiring in both India and the U.S. for most of 2021 to try and keep pace with a wave of refinancing. But a recent regulatory filing shows that Garg’s infamous Zoom cuts -- which followed the U.S. Federal Reserve’s sudden switch on interest rates -- fell much harder stateside than in lower-wage India.

The geographic shift, which effectively added 1,000 employees in India, could help Better.com stave off a