Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Hampton Creek (Just Mayo) Reports an Attempted Employee Coup

As we've pointed out over the years, the tactics from Luttwak's Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook, begin with seizing the means of communication.*
Apparently that chapter was missing from the coupsters copy of the book.

From Eater San Francisco:

Employees at Vegan Food Startup Hampton Creek Staged Coup, Company Claims
It failed, and they got canned
San Francisco vegan food startup Hampton Creek fired three top employees after learning of an alleged coup attempt, company representatives announced. The reportedly secret effort to give new investors more power in the Silicon Valley unicorn didn’t fly with its CEO and controlling shareholder Josh Tetrick, a sometimes controversial leader who’s had egg on his face during past scandals.
“This morning, our co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick, shared the sad news with our team that three senior managers have been terminated for attempting to change our company’s corporate governance,” representatives wrote in a statement. 

Known for vegan salad dressings, cookie dough, and condiments like “Just Mayo,” Hampton Creek was an early venture capital darling. It’s raised $239 million in funding at a valuation of more than $1 billion from the likes of Khosla Ventures and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. 

But recent funding efforts have been less successful, and last month the company fired its chiefs of finance, operations, and HR. It’s now parted ways with three more senior staff members — Chief Technology Officer, V.P. of research and development, and V.P. of business development — over their alleged coup....MORE
Previously on Hampton Creek:
Hampton Creek: Remember All Our Vegetarian Talk? Never Mind
Bro Culture Apparently Works Best With An Unending Supply of Other People's Money: Hampton Creek Edition
Just May Owe: "How Hampton Creek Sold Silicon Valley On A Fake-Mayo Miracle"
“Fake it till you make it”: The Dark Side of Bro Culture In Silicon Valley
August 26, 2016
"Hampton Creek Faces U.S. Criminal Probe Over Mayo Buybacks"
This thing has always had a whiff of Frat-boys-do-create-a-corp. about it. 
August 4, 2016 
"Just Mayo" Guys, Hampton Creek, Used Investor Money To Buy Its Own Product Off Store Shelves
Stay classy bro....
August 2015
Silicon Valley's Favorite Futuristic Food Company, Hampton Creek, May Be A Bit Fraudy

*We've commented on some of the attempts as they happened:
2016
"Military Attempts Coup in Turkey, Prime Minister Says"--UPDATED
2011
"Is Greece heading off a military coup?"
Which may explain another reason for the austerity budget.


2014
In a Stunning Development It Appears Izabella Kaminska Has Staged A Coup At FT Alphaville (FTAV)
In league with Keohane she has apparently implemented the tactics from Luttwak's Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook, beginning with seizing the means of communication.

Has anyone heard from Paul Murphy since this morning?....

schedule of events:
DURING the past 23 years, more than half of the world's governments have been overthrown by coups d'etat. Conspirators are increasingly aware that complex societies are vulnerable to attack. Slash a wire, start a rumor, dump LSD into reservoirs: today any determined guerrilla can stop The System. One man with one bullet can change history. A handful can take over a country.
-TIME
Acid in the FTAV reservoir?
If interested see also:

How to Plot Your Takeover
-Eric Hobsbawm at the New York Review of Putsch's