BrewDog co-founder James Watt’s problematic past resurfaces amid work/life balance controversy
When I was a child, there were a select few brands I knew I wasn’t a fan of: Brandy Melville (my first real experience with body dysmorphia), Lindt (terrible chocolate) and Lego (I was always terrified I’d swallow a piece). Now, as an adult, I still hold very strong opinions, and let’s just say that the second I laid my eyes on the beer brand BrewDog, I had an instant gut feeling—a bad one. And before you say that ‘I’m just being dramatic’, I think co-founder James Watt’s relatively problematic past (and present) confirmed my suspicions.
Welcome back to Explained By a Blonde everybody. This week, my little acrylic nails are working in overdrive just so I can keep up with all of the nightmarish men in the world. So keep reading because I think this is going to be a good ’un.
I think a lot of women and femmes will agree with me when I say that if I spot a BrewDog sign attached to a pub or brewery, I almost instinctively swerve to head in the opposite direction—it’s just an immediate red flag. Watt, the self-described “Captain” of the brewery and pub chain, markets himself online as a dedicated and hard-working entrepreneur who “disrupted the market.” However, recently, he’s been labelled as the guy who very publicly rejected the concept of a work/life balance and insinuated that those who embrace it are perhaps not that dedicated or motivated.
The founder has been caught up in multiple controversies, including allegations from his own staff of creating a culture of fear and public backlash over numerous work-related statements and opinions—including a recent video he filmed with fiancé and former Made in Chelsea star, Georgia Toffolo, also known as Toff. So, without further ado, let’s break the whole thing down together.
Why is BrewDog’s co-founder James Watt so controversial?
James Watt co-founded the brewery and pubchain BrewDog back in 2007, having previously held a job as a full-time deep sea captain. Since then, Watt has been at the helm of the company and undoubtedly played a massive role in propelling BrewDog to mass success. However, throughout all this, Watt’s triumph has been marred by controversy. And while the entrepreneur might have stepped down from day-to-day business, his impact on the company culture remains evident.
In 2021, almost 300 former and current BrewDog employees signed an open letter, expressing upset and detailing how a “significant number” of former staff had “suffered mental illness as a result of working at BrewDog.” The overwhelming sentiment was that Watt had manufactured a culture of extreme fear.
Watt responded to the allegations, releasing this statement on LinkedIn: “I am ultimately responsible for the culture of our business. The letter that ex-colleagues wrote to us is 100% my fault. To all of the signatories and to all of our team and community who were affected by the letter, I am sorry.”
“I want to be very candid about some mistakes that I have made that have detrimentally impacted our culture. In the hard and fast environment of high growth, I have all too often neglected many important elements of our business,” the note continued.
Many promises were made, however, in January 2022, the BBC reported that Watt had been accused of further inappropriate behaviour and abuse of power in the workplace by former staff. Specifically, BrewDog USA workers stated that Watt’s behaviour made female bartenders feel “uncomfortable” and “powerless.”
In the documentary The Truth about BrewDog, one former staff member said: “We would make a point to warn new girls, like, ‘Hey, just so you know, James Watt’s coming to town. Just, kind of, leave after your shift, don’t really hang around [and] don’t always do your hair and makeup that day, like don’t catch his attention’.”
Watt’s team have emphatically denied the allegations. However, it’s clear that being ‘captain’ of BrewDog means a lot more than just running the show.
James Watt faces backlash after criticising the concept of work/life balance
James Watt found himself at the centre of further controversy after he posted a video with fiancé Georgia Toffolo where the two spoke about rejecting the concept of work/life balance.
“I think the whole concept of work/life balance was invented by people who hate the work that they do. If you love what you do, you don’t need work/life balance, you need work/life integration,” the BrewDog co-founder stated.
Watt also noted that he believes Britain is one of the “least work-oriented countries in the world”—a statement that just feels laced with condescension.
Given Watt’s past, it’s understandable that many reacted negatively to this mindset. One netizen wrote: “[The post] was cringeworthy and the fact it got a positive response on Linkedin says more about LinkedIn than it does about you. All your post demonstrates is how totally out of touch with most people you are. Talk to a single mother working 40 hours a week on minimum wage about her work life balance. It may help.”
Now, I can’t stand the guy, don’t get me wrong. However, I will say that the sheer amount of abuse he received was pretty unacceptable. While some of the comments were insightful and carefully written, others were written purely to incite hate.
Talking about the response on his Instagram, Watt told his followers that he’d been victim to aggressive and relentless violent abuse. In one example, the co-founder said someone threatened to kill him with a hammer.
Watt’s video was likely made with the intention of creating quite a divisive conversation—he knows what he’s doing, people. And if you disagree (as I do) maybe rather than sending the guy death threats, let’s just make a collective promise to never let a BrewDog Punk IPA touch our lips, okay?
