Arunabh Kumar, the person who’d stepped up to completely change the face of India’s entertainment industry with his very first entrepreneurial effort — The Viral Fever — has today posted a heartfelt open letter on his Twitter, announcing his departure from the chief executive position of the company.
If you’re unaware, the chief executive has decided to resign from the Mumbai-based media venture after he was accused of sexual harassment by an anonymous blogger by the name of Indian Fowler a couple months ago. This confession was later coupled with similar accounts of harassment and molestation by not-so-anonymous women, who had previously worked on other projects with Arunabh.
And while Arunabh Kumar hastily made official statements about the situation, it suddenly spiraled out of hand and these women filed complaints against his misdemeanor with the Mumbai police. Back then, as well as now, the former CEO of TVF continues to deny the charges that were levied on him.
I have decided to step down as #TVFCEO pic.twitter.com/JKY5X7NL54
— Arunabh Kumar (@TheQtiyapaGuy) June 16, 2017
He’s hurting because the personal attacks on his character started affecting the brand he has been trying to create with The Viral Fever (TVF). Thus, he has decided to step down from the executive role and act only a mentor for the content team, helping them deliver the stories that one day match up to the likes of Disney and HBO.
In a statement from the screenshots of the open letter attached above, Arunabh Kumar states,
In the wake of the recent personal attacks, what really breaks me is the blemish on the brand’s true promise. I have therefore taken the decision to step down as the CEO of TVF.
He further goes on to mention that the company will not begin the transition process of accepting Dhawal Gusain as the new chief executive of The Viral Fever. Gusain has been with TVF since 2015, when he appointed as the COO. Prior to joining TVF, Gusain is known to have handled several leadership and management roles at bigwigs including the likes of Hindustan Unilever, PwC, and a VC-backed startup called DropThought. Speaking on his appointment, he adds,
Dhawal has a sharp business acumen, and together with our leadership team, will keep working tirelessly to scale TVF to greater heights and bring a renewed ambition and zeal to make TVF the best place to work at, for both women and men.
Further, he mentions that The Viral Fever has been a passion project from the very start and will continue to remain the same. The TVF team has grown from a bunch of novices to a whole family and will continue to deliver the heart-warming stories you desire. It also bagged a whopping $10 million investment from Tiger Global Management back in February 2016.
