David's approach to media was aggressive; he believed in attacking competitors relentlessly, which turned against me after he took over as CEO.

The strategy proposed by the board after my resignation was to have David step in as CEO temporarily, but I felt that a clean break was necessary. I didn't intend to start another company in the HR space at first, but it became clear that David was not making Zenefits work and was driving the company into the ground.

When I became CEO, the dotcom bubble was bursting, antitrust issues dominated the company's culture, and we faced a significant accounting headache that affected profitability.

In 2016, I was ousted from Zenefits in what was essentially a palace coup, and the press painted me as a tech villain.

In 2010, despite two years of rapid growth, I failed to accept that our startup's growth had plateaued, which ultimately led to our downfall.

The process of selling the company was very painful and arduous, especially since I had to maintain a double life and couldn't be transparent with my team during the acquisition process.

If investors are dictating actions to a founder, it indicates a deeper problem within the company structure that needs to be addressed.

I took over when the stock was overpriced, but it normalized within a year or two after the bubble burst, creating a narrative about the company's performance.

Returning as CEO was a crucial moment for me because I had the moral authority to define the company's direction and the community's role.