Prince Harry is making enemies wherever he goes!
His former colleagues are now calling him out for making bank at the mental health and coaching startup BetterUp — despite not doing much to earn the pricey paycheck!
If you didn’t know, the Duke of Sussex was tapped as the brand’s Chief Impact Officer back in 2021. Basically, he’s a well-paid spokesperson who occasionally gives speeches and appearances at public summits for the company, such as in March when he appeared at the BetterUp Uplift summit. When he was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he also made sure to promote the brand, too. For doing this, he reportedly makes seven figures!
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But this paycheck is causing many employees to be fed up — and possibly for good reason! The San Francisco-based organization has recently been struggling financially, leading to a layoff of more than 100 workers last week, per reports! Naturally, some of the people who were fired are frustrated their jobs were on the chopping block but Harry still gets to take home the dough despite having limited daily tasks.
When one employee was asked what Harry’s daily responsibilities include, they told The Daily Beast on Saturday:
“From what I see I’m going to go with zero things.”
Damn! On the company’s website, the 38-year-old is listed with equal billing as the co-founders, and there’s even a lengthy description of his work with the Archewell Foundation. As for what he’s doing for BetterUp? Well, it doesn’t mention anything!
That said, the source did note that the Spare author is helping get the brand a bit more recognition in the media — even if it’s not the best kind of PR. They complained it’s “become more of a distraction,” adding:
“Every article mentions his role at BetterUp then goes on to roast [him and Meghan Markle]… The juice isn’t worth the squeeze.”
Oof.
Related: Eugenie & Beatrice Find Harry’s Rift With Royal Family ‘Stressful’
Sharing a similar take on the controversy, broadcaster Esther Krakue told Sky News Australia‘s Royal Report host Caroline Di Russo on Monday that the father of two only brings value to the brand because of his reputation and status:
“You can argue that by virtue of having someone like Prince Harry as a member of your team, you’re getting your money’s worth in publicity because Prince Harry is a very well-known figure. But the reality is, that’s where any sort of value that he brings the company ends. His value to the company only came down to the fact that he is Prince Harry, not that he has any sort of background as a chief impact officer.”
Typically, a Chief Impact Officer might have more of an active role in the business and work toward achieving a goal of having a positive impact on the company’s industry, but it sounds like Harry’s primarily taken on the ambassador role and left the other work to someone else. Krakue, just like the axed employees, is also skeptical about much Prince William‘s estranged brother is doing in the position, noting:
“He’s in the process of filming his Invictus Games documentary, he’s released a book, he’s apparently planning another tour in Africa, and his wife has been busy as well. […] So really how much work could he actually have done?”
We’re not surprised BetterUp wanted to partner with Haz. With all the other promotions he’s been doing lately, his name has been in the press a ton! He’s also a vocal advocate for mental health… but does that mean they should be paying him SO much?! An A-list star is gonna cost a pretty penny no matter what, but now that they’re on hard times, maybe it’s not worth it?? Let us know what YOU think about this hiring decision (below)!
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