The ‘Pity City’ CEO Is Sorry Now

The CEO and president of the office furniture giant MillerKnoll apologized to her staff on Tuesday after a video of her telling employees not to live in “pity city” went viral, saying that she understands her language “seemed insensitive” but that she meant it as a “rallying cry” amid a difficult moment for the company.

CEO Andi Owen’s now-infamous comments came at the end of a March town hall, after she was asked,  "While things are tough right now, how can we help our teams stay motivated?” In response, Owen launched into a tirade about bonuses, telling people to stop worrying “about what you’re going to do if you don’t get a bonus” and otherwise “leave pity city.”

The comment angered employees enough for Owen to meet with company leaders and sent an initial message to associates. But MillerKnoll initially struck a defiant tone in a statement to Motherboard, saying that Owen would “not be dissuaded by a 90-second clip taken out of context.”

Online frustration with Owen, though, only grew louder in the 24 hours after we published our story, leading her to more formally apologize over email on Tuesday. 

“What I’d hoped would energize the team to meet a challenge we’ve met many times before landed in a way that I did not intend and for that I am sorry,” CEO Andi Owen wrote to her staff over email. (We included the entire apology at the bottom of this article.)

Miller Knoll, which produces some of the most well-regarded chairs in the country, including the Aeron chair, has struggled in recent years as companies have reconsidered their need for a traditional office environment. To combat a slumping share price, the company has enacted a series of cost-cutting measures in recent years, including layoffs. 

Bonuses for the 2023 fiscal year have yet to be decided, according to the company.