Kaseya labels comments made by Datto founder as 'false information'

The company's CFO has said there will be 'zero changes' to employee benefits

Kaseya has said there will be "zero changes" to Datto employee benefits after the MSP's founder posted a damaging diatribe over the $6.2bn acquisition.

Austin McChord accused Kaseya of "snuffing the flame" of Datto's culture in a social media post, alleging changes such as reduced maternity/paternity leave and paid time off as well as not treating "the office as a hub for community anymore".

It came just two weeks after Kaseya confirmed it had completed its acquisition of Datto after announcing the deal back in April.

McChord spoke out after claiming that "many current members of the Datto team have reached out deeply dismayed".

"There is a concern that the current trajectory from Datto's new owners will snuff the flame that makes Datto a place to come ‘Do your life's work'," he wrote.

But Kaseya CFO Kathy Wagner looked to clear the air in an internal email - which was shared on reddit - to ease employee concerns.

She said: "Unfortunately, over the weekend, there was some false information published on social media about your future at Kaseya. This information was ‘based' on information from secondary sources possibly derived from interpretation of what our CEO, Fred Voccola, said at several town halls this past week addressing our Datto employees.

"First, there are zero changes to the benefits of all Datto. Period. To address the specific concerns that were published online, there is no reduction in 401K match, no change/reduction in maternity/paternity leave benefits, nor changes/reductions in PTO for any Datto employees.

"This was very clearly stated by Fred at both the Boston and Norwalk town halls, the FAQs that were sent when the deal officially closed and is being reiterated again here in this email.

"Fred also directly stated that the culture of offices being gathering spots for employees, events, social and community time, etc. will not only be reinstated but increased, as office locations being meeting places for employees and community service is a staple of pre-Datto Kaseya culture."

Wagner also said that there was "never, nor is there a goal of reducing expenses by 30 per cent", which was alleged by McChord.

But she also warned that while there will be no mass layoffs, some people will leave due to redundancy - Wagner highlighted that Datto CEO Tim Weller has left as a company "does not need two CEOs".

Wagner said: "As Fred mentioned, there are zero mass layoffs planned. I repeat, we will not come in one morning and cut the team by X per cent, that is NOT happening.

"Yes, there will be some people who will no longer be with us, due to issues such as redundancy of jobs, elimination of required positions as a result of our company no longer being a public, and targeted changes like that."

But she added the plan for the acquisition is to "increase the investment" in products, technology, and customer support and success, "not reduce them".

Wagner said: "The financial business case for Kaseya acquiring Datto was one of value creation through GROWTH as opposed to a financial business case of value creation through cost synergies.

"Growth is obtained via investment. As Fred clearly stated, we as a combined entity are looking to add over 1,400 employees over the next 12 months. That is the exact opposite of any broad-based reductions in our workforce."

Wagner also said that human beings are "wired to resist change", but said its something constant in life and more often than not leads to progress.

She added: "The acquisition of Datto by Kaseya creates tremendous opportunities for employees as well as customers. The combined company now spends over one BILLION dollars a year on 'stuff' (people, technology, etc.) and that stuff will allow our company to deliver the best technology to our customers, with the absolute best customer service that will enable our MSPs to be the most successful MSPs in the world.

"In doing that, we are creating massive life-changing opportunities for thousands upon thousands of employees of our company; financial opportunities, professional growth opportunities, etc."

CRN has approached Kaseya for comment following the claims made by McChord.