Away Co-Founder Steph Korey Is Back as Co-CEO

Lauren Thomas, reporting for CNBC a week ago:

Just weeks after stepping down as chief executive officer of luggage maker Away following a report about her leadership tactics, Steph Korey is back as co-CEO. […]

But she told Away employees in a companywide Slack message Monday, which was reviewed by CNBC: “The inaccurate reporting that was published in December about our company unleashed a social media mob — not just on me, but also on many of you.” She added that her move to executive chairman had caused “more confusion than clarity. … So, let me clear that up: I am not leaving the company.”

Korey went on to say the company will contemplate its “legal options” after The Verge responds to its “demands for retractions and corrections.” A representative from The Verge wasn’t immediately available to respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Away said it has hired Libby Locke, the lawyer who won a defamation case against Rolling Stone magazine for a retracted story about an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia. Locke said in an email Monday that the Verge “published hit pieces filled with lies and distortions designed to damage Away’s reputation.”

Surprise twist, to say the least. This seemingly puts the kibosh on my theory that Korey was stabbed in the back by Away’s board.

(Disclaimer: Away has been a frequent sponsor of my podcast.)

★ Wednesday, 22 January 2020