As controversy continues over the recent KakaoTalk update, Toss CEO Lee Seung-gun posted what appeared to be a message aimed at Kakao employees.
On the 1st, Lee said on his Facebook account, "The core of a way of working that is true to Toss is that the DRI (directly responsible individual) is firmly in place," adding, "This means that not the executives who receive reports, but the team members who actually handle the work make decisions that represent the company."
He continued, "Because this premise is not just a slogan or a formality but has also taken root as a powerful governing culture in practice, even executives can freely express opinions and critique specific practitioners' work," adding, "If there is only strong opinion expression by executives without that premise, it is merely a malignant top-down culture and has nothing to do with how Toss works."
Currently, Kakao Chief Product Officer (CPO) Hong Min-taek, a former Toss executive who led the KakaoTalk update, is being criticized for "uncommunicative leadership," which is being interpreted as a claim that Hong's work style is not Toss culture.
Lee went on to allude to Kakao's internal situation, where labor-management conflict has recently erupted. He said, "Everyone is well aware that an individual's autonomous decision can at times lead to unintended outcomes that harm the entire company," adding, "Even if someone's decision actually results in great damage to the company, other members do not criticize, give side-eye, or mock that result. Instead, both executives and team members recognize this unfortunate outcome as a joint decision and, as one team, consider how to minimize and resolve the problem."
He said, "Externalizing or mocking the team member who caused the damage is not a way of working that is true to Toss."