Opendoor CEO Kaz Nejatian Criticized for Remarks on Fired Indian Employees
Quick Look
- Opendoor CEO Kaz Nejatian faced backlash for a social media post offering his fired Indian employees as references to US employers.
- While intending to help, the gesture was seen as a "backhanded compliment" by some Indians and criticized by Americans who blame immigrants for job losses.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Opendoor CEO Kaz Nejatian posted on social media offering his recently fired Indian employees as references to US employers. The post aimed to help the employees find new jobs after Opendoor wound down its India operations.
Opendoor CEO Kaz Nejatian was trolled after he vouched for the Indian workers he fired and said his one-line social media post advocating for those Indians could be considered as his reference letter.
"Is this how you give references? Don't worry, Indians will survive, you won't," one social media user wrote.
After Nejatian shared the letter that he sent to his 250 Indian employees in India, informing them that Opendoor's India operations were winding down, he added a note for them: "If you are hiring and have a presence in India, they are excellent people. Consider this my reference letter and hire them," Nejatian wrote.
Nejatian's note was meant for US employers who have a presence in India.
A Bengaluru-based founder, Tarun Firodiya, asked Nejatian for a list.
But Nejatian's 'noble gesture' could not impress anyone on social media. Americans loathed him for empathizing with the Indians who lost jobs, as they blame Indians for taking all American jobs, and Indians did not appreciate the backhanded compliment that Nejatian gave after dissolving the team.
Who is Opendoor CEO Kaz Nejatian?
Kaz Nejatian is a Canadian technology executive, entrepreneur, and former lawyer who is best known for his leadership roles at Shopify and Opendoor. He studied business at Queen's University and later earned a law degree from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Early in his career, he worked as a lawyer before moving into technology and entrepreneurship. He co-founded a payments startup called Kash, which was acquired in 2017. After that, he worked on payments and billing products at Meta (then Facebook). Nejatian joined Shopify in 2019 and in 2025, he became the CEO of Opendoor. Nejatian is an Iranian by birth. He grew up in Iran but he renounced his Iranian citizenship at 17 and became a Canadian citizen. He also has a maple leaf tattoo.
Open Questions
- What was the exact number of employees laid off in India?
- What was the specific reason for winding down Opendoor's India operations?
- Did any of the fired employees receive job offers through Nejatian's reference?
- What was the initial reaction from the 250 Indian employees to Nejatian's post?
