Dan Worth, who made worldwide headlines seven years in the past for his plan to lift the minimal wage at Gravity Funds, resigned Wednesday as CEO of the Seattle-based firm.
Worth tweeted an e-mail despatched to staff about his resignation. “My No. 1 precedence is for our staff to work for the perfect firm on the earth, however my presence has grow to be a distraction right here,” he wrote. “I additionally must step apart from these duties to focus full time on preventing false accusations made towards me. I’m not going wherever.”
Worth pleaded not responsible in Might to misdemeanor prices of assault and reckless driving in reference to an incident by which prosecutors alleged he tried to kiss a 26-year-old lady in his automotive after which grabbed her throat when she rebuffed him.
Gravity Funds Chief Working Officer Tammi Kroll is changing Worth as CEO. The bank card processing and know-how firm based mostly in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood has 240 staff.
Gravity Funds made worldwide headlines attributable to Worth’s resolution, introduced in April 2015, to lift the corporate’s minimal wage to $70,000 over three years and instantly drop his compensation — beforehand greater than $1 million — to $70,000 to assist fund the raises.
Within the course of, Worth grew to become an outspoken advocate for employees’ rights, and equitable pay, ceaselessly criticizing company leaders on social media and in press interviews.
Worth helped begin Gravity Funds 18 years in the past.
In 2016, he prevailed in a lawsuit that was introduced towards him by his brother and former enterprise companion, Lucas Worth, that included a declare that Dan Worth had used his majority management of Gravity Funds to pay himself extreme compensation. Court docket data confirmed that the swimsuit was served on Dan Worth within the days previous to his landmark wage announcement inside the corporate.
Gravity now has a minimal wage of $80,000 and reported file income final yr, according to a tweet Price posted Wednesday.