Here's Binny Bansal's last letter to Flipkart employees on his resignation

Wednesday November 14, 2018 , 3 min Read

In a letter to Flipkart employees, Binny Bansal said that these have been challenging times for him and his family and feared "certain personal events" may become a distraction for the company and team. He also outlined his plans in the same email to Flipkart employees.

Earlier today, co-founder of Flipkart Binny Bansal resigned from the ecommerce company with immediate effect following an investigation into allegations of personal misconduct, according to Walmart. The news sent shockwaves in the Indian startup ecosystem.

People aware of the matter, who spoke to YourStory, said that Binny was sent on "garden leave" for a few weeks.

At around 5 PM, Binny Bansal, in a letter to Flipkart employees, said that the events related to claims of serious personal misconduct were uncorroborated after a thorough investigation, completed by an independent law firm.

Expressing shock himself, Binny said,

“The allegations left me stunned and I strongly deny them. The investigation, however, did bring to light lapses in judgment, particularly a lack of transparency, related to how I responded to the situation.”

He also said that this was a distraction and proved to be a challenging time for him and his family,

“I am concerned that this may become a distraction for the company and the team. In light of these circumstances, I feel it is best to step away as Chairman and Group CEO.”

Following is the final letter which Binny sent the employees of Flipkart,

Dear Flipkart Family,

Since co-founding Flipkart with modest resources in 2007, the journey we have embarked on together has been arduous and rewarding, culminating with the fantastic news of our partnership with Walmart earlier this year. They have been great partners and I am optimistic about our future together.

For some time, I have been mulling over the right time to step away from an operating role at Flipkart Group.

My plan was to continue in my current role for a few more quarters to continue the transition after closing the deal with Walmart. However, my decision to step down has been accelerated by certain personal events that have taken place in the recent past.

These events relate to a claim of serious personal misconduct made against me, which was uncorroborated after a thorough investigation completed by an independent law firm. The allegations left me stunned and I strongly deny them. The investigation, however, did bring to light lapses in judgment, particularly a lack of transparency, related to how I responded to the situation. These have been challenging times for my family and me. I am concerned that this may become a distraction for the company and the team. In light of these circumstances, I feel it is best to step away as Chairman and Group CEO.

I will continue to be a large shareholder in the company and will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Directors.

I am convinced that the company is in great hands with our experienced leaders - Kalyan, Ananth and Sameer. They have done an exceptional job running the businesses for many years now and with the support of Walmart that I have experienced, will continue to lead the company to even greater successes in the future.

Thank you for all the goodwill that you’ve shown towards me over the years. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to help get us to where we are today. I look forward to seeing Flipkart scale greater heights in the coming years.