Why Prince Harry won’t walk away from £1m-a-year BetterUp role despite flurry of complaints that saw staff compare bosses to gangsters

Prince Harry’s BetterUp has faced a flood of new complaints from staff and customers, but the exiled royal prince will not be walking away from his alleged £1million salary.

A former employee of the mental health company has now compared the company’s bosses to gangsters who ‘exploit’ their staff in a complaint filed in the run-up to Christmas.

‘If you’re not in, you’re out. High turnover among key positions. Lots of micromanagement and shaming. “I wish this company practiced what it preached,” the whistleblower said.

While a current salesperson criticized the “bad guys” at the top of BetterUp in a scathing one-star December review, also on respected workplace transparency website Glassdoor.

While in a one-star TrustPilot review posted on New Year’s Day, one customer said he “signed up and then canceled” when he saw “Prince Harry is involved.”

“I can’t understand why someone with such a toxic relationship with his own family and that of his wife would have anything to do with a mental health app,” he said. Another wrote: ‘The pricing model seems very predatory. Moreover, Prince Harry’s involvement does not appeal to me.’

The Duke of Sussex is under pressure to speak out amid growing unease over working practices at the mental health company, where he is chief impact officer and responsible for “guiding the company’s social mission.”

But royal commentator Tom Bower told MailOnline today: ‘I’m sure he won’t walk away because BetterUp is good for his profile and income.’

BetterUp did not respond to a request for comment on the complaints and Prince Harry’s future.

MailOnline can also reveal that complaints about conditions are not limited to BetterUp, with a youth worker at Harry’s African charity Sentebale accusing bosses of failing to look after staff.

Sentebele was co-founded in 2006 by Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to ensure that the most vulnerable children in Lesotho are cared for.

But in a comment on Glassdoor, which publishes company reviews of employees with the aim of increasing transparency in the workplace, a youth health worker called Sentebale “underminers.”

The anonymous employee, who worked there as a contractor, said earlier this year that the job was a “good learning curve” but added worryingly that “field workers are not getting enough to survive.”

Despite this worrying claim, he gave Sentebale a three out of five rating.

Sentebale did not respond to a request for comment.

Behind the scenes there are major changes going on within the organization.

Richard Miller has resigned as CEO of Sentebale after five years.

His departure in the first week of December followed that of Baroness Chalker, the Secretary of State for Foreign Development, who resigned as director in November.

Potential BetterUp customers have said they have been ‘delayed’ from signing up due to Harry’s seven-figure salary – and the unrest of many staff – despite BetterUp offering new and existing customers up to a third off to sign up in 2025.

Since this website revealed on Boxing Day that former and current BetterUp employees described it as a ‘toxic train wreck’ and ‘psychologically unsafe workplace’, complaints have increased, including over the Christmas period.

BetterUp is offering new customers a 30 percent discount in what experts said was a desperate sale.

The California-based company, described as “Tinder life coach for millennials,” recently sent emails to former and potential clients looking for business and offered them a discounted price.

They are also looking to hire new staff as past and present coaches were found to be joining the company.

But in a warning to those considering a job there, a current employee of three years said on Glassdoor: ‘Employees who raise concerns or propose solutions often face alienation, with the company’s ‘high impact behavior’ being held against them armed.

“Rather than addressing real issues, the executive team prioritizes maintaining control. If you’re looking for a workplace that promotes career growth, meaningful work, and psychological safety, consider looking elsewhere. BetterUp may not be the right choice for you.”

A BetterUp coach with five years of experience said: This company was built on the backs of highly qualified coaches. And those coaches feel disrespected and undercompensated.

“A former employee who worked in San Francisco for three years said, There’s an OG [original gangster] leadership club that runs this place’.

Another regular said, “Remember when in Pinocchio, selfish bad guys gave little kids a bunch of beer and cigars? The sweet, goofy kids angrily turned into donkeys/jack-as. The villain laughs because he knows that tomorrow he will have another endless group of innocent children to exploit.

“The kids want to matter and not have a target on their back, so they play along with the game Power wants to play.

“After doing this for a decade, it’s no wonder leaders walk on eggshells with executives, causing employees to buck the system. Every meeting is a fire drill.

“The hardest part of my job is over-explaining, re-explaining, and getting leaders to understand why they need to invest in industry-standard basics.”

Harry’s role at BetterUp in mental health is to “advocate for mental fitness” and “guide the company’s social mission.”

He is also a vocal champion for the app, described as ‘life coach Tinder for millennials’, revealing he used it to find his own ‘really amazing’ mental health coach when he joined in 2021 after Megxit.

But MailOnline revealed on Boxing Day that former and current employees suggest there is still a lot of work to be done, after describing the US-based company as a ‘toxic train wreck’ and a ‘psychologically unsafe place to work’ where ‘ everyone feels uncomfortable and lives in fear’. ‘.

There are also nice words for BetterUp’s “elite club of leaders,” who, according to one employee, “have no moral compass” and “lack self-awareness.”

And a company CEO who recently used their services vowed never to use them again, claiming, “I was concerned about the confidentiality of my conversations and privacy during coaching conversations with coaches.”

Another described the sales team as “predatory.” “I’m glad I withdrew because I read reviews from former employees that didn’t look good and also highlighted the poor wage pressure to sell and fire and that they pay Prince Harry over a million dollars a year,” they said.

As of 2021, the Duke of Sussex has been working as ‘Chief Impact Officer’ at the US-based professional coaching and mental health app.

He has regularly appeared for the company on stage and in livestreams over the past three years, including last month with a former NBA star and friend of Kobe Bryant to discuss mental fitness and helping people “find their flow.”

Harry has also been a visitor to the buildings in San Francisco, California, and Austin, Texas, where staff have office dogs to pet, yoga studios and armchairs to relax in during their workday.

BetterUp has a 2.8 out of five star rating on the site, based on more than 600 reviews. Only 35% of people would recommend working there to a friend.

But while about half of the most recent reviews are one or two stars, there are also three, four and five star reviews.

The most recent read: “There is nothing bad to report at this time.” Another said: ‘It’s a great place to work if you want to take control of your career, are a go-getter and want to learn more about yourself and how you work.’

There are complaints about ‘too much ego at the top’ – and staff under pressure to meet targets.

In October, a former employee called BetterUp a “literal circus.”

In September, a current employee called the company a “toxic train wreck.” “You work your butt off, but if you’re not in the inner circle, good luck,” they said.

BetterUp is a place “where people dry up and shrivel up,” a former account executive said in August:

‘I’m not saying this figuratively. Literally everyone at BetterUp hates their job.”

In the same month, a current account manager said: ‘Their existence is based on lies, no moral compass and an elite club of leaders (if you can call them that) who have no self-awareness’.

The startup’s co-founder and CEO Alexi Robichaux has repeatedly praised Harry, citing his “incredible attitude” and claiming he was “energized” by Harry’s “model of inspiration and impact through action.”

The Prince has settled into his role at the company, which claims to use artificial intelligence to deliver personalized coaching sessions designed to nurture ‘the whole person’.

Founded in 2013, BetterUp offers professional coaching, counseling and mentorship on your mobile phone, and is one of the few apps that promise to improve employee happiness, retention and – most importantly – productivity through counseling and behavioral psychology.

Business access to the app, including virtual classes and coaching sessions, reportedly costs around £2,600 per person for a 12-month membership.

Harry himself has given the app his royal approval, describing how he found working with a ‘truly great coach’ to be ‘invaluable’.