Millionaire founder defends firing staff over extramarital affair, triggering debate
The controversy has revived a wider debate on whether employers should draw a firm line between workers’ private conduct and their professional standing, or whether personal ethics are inseparable from workplace performance.
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Natalie Dawson, President of Cardone Ventures, has ignited a sharp public debate after revealing that she fired two employees for engaging in an extramarital affair, stating on The Diary of a CEO podcast that she considers such behaviour a direct threat to workplace integrity. She informed that the decision to dismiss them was immediate once she learned of the situation, adding that she has stood by the move despite significant criticism online.
During the interview with host Steven Bartlett, Dawson stated that she could not tolerate such conduct within her environment, particularly from people working closely around her. When asked whether she would fire someone solely for cheating on their partner, she stated that she absolutely would, arguing that a person willing to deceive the individual they intend to spend their life with would likely extend similar dishonesty to their work or to clients, making them, in her view, a liability to the culture she is trying to build.
Millionaire CEO Natalie Dawson explains why she fired and terminated the contracts of 2 employees who had an affair with each other while both were involved with partners outside the company
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Dawson further informed that personal ethics cannot be separated from professional behaviour, noting that the same person who struggles with honesty in their private life shows up at the office each day. She emphasised that as a leader she carries the responsibility of creating and maintaining a workplace grounded in trust and accountability.
Her comments have divided opinion online, with some users praising her tough stand on ethics and others accusing her of intruding into employees’ personal lives. One user on X stated that allowing a cheater to operate within a business reflects moral weakness and signals tolerance for dishonesty. Another user commented that employees unable to keep their personal lives out of the workplace should not expect to be trusted with meaningful responsibilities, describing Dawson’s approach as harsh but arguably accurate.
The controversy has revived a wider debate on whether employers should draw a firm line between workers’ private conduct and their professional standing, or whether personal ethics are inseparable from workplace performance.
