What did HubSpot senior executives do to try to obtain in advance or prevent the release of Dan Lyons’ book “Disrupted”? We may never know for sure. But I have obtained the redacted version of the report from the resulting FBI investigation. Here is one of the most important parts:
Note: “email hacking and extortion.”
All we know is that HubSpot said in a press release that the company’s CMO, Mike Volpe, was “terminated for cause” related to “attempts to procure a draft manuscript of a book involving the company.” VP Content Joe Chernov resigned before the company could determine whether to terminate him as well. CEO Brian Halligan was also sanctioned for not reporting Volpe and Chernov’s actions in a timely manner.
But despite HubSpot’s frequent proclamations that the company is completely transparent, HubSpot has never directly and specifically addressed the serious, material allegations in Lyons’ book and has never disclosed exactly what Volpe and Chernov — among others — may have done. I am still investigating these many unanswered questions.