A senior executive at The Campbell’s Co. was allegedly recorded in an explosive tirade trashing the company’s own food as “sh*t for f**king poor people.” The shocking recording, obtained by HuffPost, exposes the disdain the corporate elite have for their working-class consumers.
The voice identified as Vice President Martin Bally said in the recording, “If you look at our f**king pantry, we have sh*t for f**king poor people, right? We have sh*t that’s for poor people. Who buys our shi*t?” This is how corporate America views the people who keep them in business.
Bally, whose LinkedIn lists him as a chief information security officer, didn’t stop there. He allegedly degraded a key ingredient in chicken noodle soup, saying, “I don’t want to eat a f**king piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer.” He insulted the meal’s main protein as “bioengineered meat.”
The executive, who works in IT and has nothing to do with food production, was also allegedly recorded making ugly racist comments about Indian workers. He ranted about cybersecurity in the workplace, saying, “F*** Indians don’t know a f**king thing. Like they couldn’t think for their f**king selves.”
The lawsuit, filed by former cybersecurity analyst Robert Garza, also alleges that Bally admitted to showing up to work under the influence of marijuana. Garza claims he was “shocked” and “appalled” by the VP’s behavior and reported the incident to his manager in January.
Instead of supporting the whistleblower, the company allegedly covered it up. Garza claims he was terminated just weeks later in retaliation for reporting Bally’s conduct. Garza and his attorney Zachary Runyan said, “He thought Campbell’s would be thankful that he reported Martin’s behavior, but instead he was abruptly fired.”
The company spokesperson confirmed Bally is now temporarily on leave while they conduct an internal investigation. They made the predictable statement that “if the comments were in fact made, they are unacceptable.”
Campbell’s defended their food, calling the executive's alleged remarks “completely inaccurate and absurd.” The company insisted, “Our chicken meat comes from long-trusted, USDA approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards.”
Garza is now seeking justice, saying, “We look forward to obtaining justice for Robert.” This lawsuit exposes the stunning hypocrisy of a corporate culture that protects a foul-mouthed executive while punishing the employee who tried to do the right thing.