Davis Bell, CEO of Canopy, a mid-sized software company based in Utah, revealed on LinkedIn that he recently fired two engineers who secretly held two full-time jobs at the same time, citing the growing trend of overemployment.
“This overemployment isn’t some fun new social trend. It’s a new kind of theft and deception, and it’s not something that an ethical, honest person would do,” Bell said.
Social media users have reacted negatively to Bell’s post, with some claiming that while tech CEOs such as Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk are praised for working at multiple companies simultaneously, regular workers are being punished, while others speculated that the engineers may have worked two jobs to make ends meet. One person even called Bell and wished him death in a car accident.
According to Bell during his clarification with Insider, it is unfair to compare these special employees with lower-income people who work extra retail or night shifts to pay for basic items like food and clothing.
Bell distinguishes between two 9-to-5 jobs and a part-time job, and many Canopy employees have multiple passive income streams or passion projects. The CEO is also an angel investor in start-ups, which he estimates takes about an hour a month.
“It’s like getting to the core of Western capitalism. When you do this, you are removing someone else’s job from their hands. You’re also hurting the people you’re working with because they’re in charge of deliverables and have to work longer hours,” he explained.
The sources for this piece include an article in BusinessInsider.