A US business leader has sparked a major online debate after admitting she fired two employees for extramarital affairs, saying she considered such behavior a “responsibility” in the workplace.
Natalie Dawson, president of Cardone Ventures, made the announcement during an appearance on “The Diary of a CEO” podcast. Dawson said she immediately terminated the employees when she learned they were involved despite having relationships outside of work.
“Once I caught it, it wasn’t a split-second decision,” Dawson told host Steven Bartlett. “I can’t have that around me, especially someone close to me.
Asked if she would fire someone just for cheating on their partner, Dawson said: “Absolutely. I can’t have cheaters. If they’re going to cheat on the person they’re supposed to spend their life with, you think they’re not going to cheat on their job? Or our clients? That person is a liability.”
Dawson said she believes personal ethics directly affect professional behavior. “If someone has a problem in their personal life, that’s the same person who shows up at work,” she said, adding that she feels it’s her responsibility to protect the company’s culture.
Online discussion
Her remarks sparked a heated debate on social media, with some users supporting Dawson’s stance on integrity, while others accused her of intruding into employees’ private lives.
One user wrote: “Never do business with a cheater… If they can cheat on the most important person in their life, imagine what they would do behind your back.”
Another criticized her approach, calling it “power-dunk management”:
“If they get their work done on time, why should a manager interfere in their personal relationships? Trying to control people’s lives just because they work for you is narcissistic behavior.”
A third user argued that Dawson’s logic is about consistency:
“He says that personal integrity reflects how someone will behave at work – if you betray your partner, you can betray your employer.”
“Morality and values above all,” wrote a fourth user.
“At the end of the day, her company has its rules. She has to decide what values she wants to maintain in her premises, under her watch. A leader with principle,” wrote a fifth user.
Dawson co-founded Cardone Ventures — a consulting and private equity firm — with her husband and entrepreneur Grant Cardone in 2019. The company has grown rapidly to report $225 million in revenue.
