A San Francisco tech startup has suddenly found itself at the center of a different kind of attention.
Corgi, an insurance company that has built its image around a young, online-heavy workplace culture, is facing backlash after several employees’ social media posts went viral.
One staffer’s highly specific dating checklist sparked controversy after another employee’s offensive posts went viral.
Highlights
- San Francisco startup Corgi faced backlash after employees’ viral social media posts sparked controversy over dating preferences.
- Head of community Brooke LeBlanc drew attention with a detailed dating checklist.
- CEO Nico Laqua defended Corgi’s startup culture.
Soon, even the company’s CEO was defending its culture online.
“Suddenly, people were looking at Corgi for all the wrong reasons,” PR veteran Chris Harihar said.
A dating checklist from a Corgi employee put the insurance company in the spotlight
The drama began with Brooke LeBlanc, Corgi’s 29-year-old head of community.
On September 18, LeBlanc posted a list on X detailing what she wanted in a future partner. The post quickly went viral before she deleted her account, as reported by Bored Panda.
Her requirements included a man between 35 and 42, who was “healthy, masculine, smart, funny, lighthearted” and had a “provider/protector mentality.” She also wanted someone who was “post-economic (still hardworking),” kind, generous, and thoughtful.
Her list also included some more specific requirements.
She wanted a future partner with no children yet, but who wanted them eventually. She also wanted someone on a “healing path,” which she defined as having a history of serious commitment to personal growth through therapy, books, or wellness retreats.
The person also had to be fit and sober, live in the same city as her, and care about their health.
Among her preferred traits were having no previous marriage or engagement and working in tech.
LeBlanc later claimed the viral post had already helped her find five potential suitors.
She eventually deleted her entire X account.
The dating controversy was followed by a separate issue involving another Corgi employee
Another Corgi employee, named Nicole Clash, was criticized after posting language that included a slur against people with disabilities.
In a September 20 post, she wrote, “Reading is hard for the retarded; it’s ok I understand.” Insurance Business magazine identified her as a Corgi marketing staffer.
Another deleted post also caused outrage after Clash said she would “not attempt to police” people who use the N-word.
However, outlets including The New York Post did not see the original post and instead reviewed screenshots.
The comments prompted criticism from another Corgi employee, Ella Schlaghecke, a partnerships manager.
“There is a distinct difference between believing that society should not censor people and deciding that we have no responsibility to challenge language that dehumanizes others,” Schlaghecke wrote.
Clash later told The New York Post that she removed some of the posts “after reflection.” She also said the posts did not represent Corgi’s views.
As the dating post was making the rounds, Corgi CEO Nico Laqua aimed what he described as “cancel culture."
The 26-year-old CEO wrote on X that startup investors and people who spend a lot of time online care too much about publicity.
“If I’ve learned one thing about startups, it’s that VCs and very online figures care mostly about press and social media,” Laqua wrote.
He then contrasted that with the people actually building the company, adding that “real hackers and builders care about making a durable business.”
However, the company later clarified that Laqua’s post came before Clash’s controversial posts.
Corgi said Laqua did not support the language used in those posts and that neither did the company.
The social media drama also drew attention to Corgi’s broader workplace culture
The San Francisco startup described itself as an “AI native, full-stack” insurance platform that underwrites and sells insurance directly to other companies.
But its reputation online has also been tied to an intense work culture.
Laqua previously promoted the idea that employees should work extremely long hours, including weekends.
“If your days off happen to be Saturday and Sunday every week, you will not have a place at Corgi,” he said on the 20vchq podcast.
He also claimed that he sleeps only three to four hours a night on an office mattress.
The company has around 400 employees and has also announced plans to open 100 Corgi Cafes that will operate around the clock, serving smoothies and snacks to late-night tech workers.
Corgi reportedly removed the staffer overseeing that expansion this week, although the company said it remains committed to the café plans.
Another unusual part of the controversy was the nickname “Corgi girls”
“Corgi girls” emerged online because of claims that the company hires attractive, highly active women in marketing and growth roles as part of its image.
According to SFisms, the company became associated with “a steady stream of photogenic women announcing their marketing and growth roles in viral X posts.”
Corgi has denied that this is a marketing strategy.
Attorney Jeremy Eisemann said the company hires people based on what they can contribute to the business.
“We hire people for their ability to contribute to our business,” he said. “Characterizing our colleagues as a marketing tactic is disrespectful to them and misrepresents our culture.”
Furthermore, PR veteran Chris Harihar said, “Suddenly, people were looking at Corgi for all the wrong reasons.”
“Now, you’re the company known for provocative or offensive posts, not insurance.”
Harihar acknowledged that edgy social media account content can help a young company get noticed. But he warned that attention can eventually become a business problem.
“At some point, the wrong kind of attention costs you money,” he said.
One San Francisco venture capitalist offered a more measured view, arguing that consumer insurance and fintech are heavily influenced by branding.
The investor said Corgi’s strategy seemed aimed at attracting a particular type of customer through a “non-corporate, Gen Z voice.”
Former San Francisco city supervisor Aaron Peskin was far less impressed.
After seeing criticism of Corgi’s cafes online, he asked, “What the f— is going on in this town?”
“Immature, silly people and organizations are not a new thing on the planet Earth,” Peskin said. “It’s like watching a train wreck.”
"Corgi not a real company," wrote one netizen
