Brewdog

[Hibbyradge]

A personal message from James...

https://forum.brewdog.com/t/a-personal-update/47612

[Onceinawhile]

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[Hibbyradge]

For the past 2 years I have been the subject of a vicious and relentless campaign of abuse, often by troll accounts posting and sharing appalling lies about me (often direct to family and friends) – lies that were then amplified all over the internet. It has taken a significant personal toll and been a massive distraction. I needed to do all I could to bring the campaign to an end.

I want to say I didn’t go to court lightly, but I have been harassed, defrauded and defamed, and it has deeply affected me, my family and my business. I had no choice.

Earlier this month, the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that Ms Ziem committed a serious fraud against me involving lies & malicious communications and ordered that she repay £600,000 that she fraudulently obtained from me (this includes expenses). If I ever see a penny the money again, I intend to give it all to charity.

Ms Ziem said she could help me identify the people responsible for spreading false and malicious lies about me via troll accounts and asked for payment to do so. I was desperate to stop this horrific abuse, so I paid up.

What we now know, and the court has found, is that she was actually one of the perpetrators and was operating an extremally active troll account against me as part of a dedicated network looking to ‘take James down’ (her words). She gave me knowingly false information with the sole intention of deceiving me into agreeing to pay her. She was, in fact, a key part of a network involved in a campaign to do as much damage to me and my business as possible, spreading false and defamatory information with the objective of destroying me personally and damaging our business.

This person, whom the court has now found to be a fraud, was also a source for the BBC Documentary, which had such a demoralising impact on our team. This is worth remembering while the BBC continues to advertise its attacks on us across its multiple platforms.

This has been a massive distraction for me with all the challenges we face as a business in a struggling economy, but I hope you understand that it was incumbent on me to defend my reputation in the face of relentless hostility.

Even with all this, I’m proud of how far we’ve come at BrewDog. We’ve invested in our people with a share ownership scheme and a bar 50% profit share. We opened our new Waterloo bar – which is performing well ahead of expectations and Las Vegas is due to open later this year.

I hope the outcome of this case provides some context and begins to tell a slightly different story to what you may have read about BrewDog (and myself) over the past 18 months. The longer story is pretty extraordinary, and I’ve got enough material to fill a whole book. Watch this space!

Anyway, that’s enough from me on this one. Time to look forward, not back. There’s much more to come from us and you’ll be hearing some big announcements soon.

James

[Lendo]

Makes absolutely zero references to all of the other accusations made against him by employees.

Also glosses over the fact that he thought he could use his wealth and power to buy dirt on the people accusing him only to be doxed himself.

He seems like a narcissistic clown that BrewDog shareholders are better getting shot of once they take the company public.

[GlesgaeHibby]

Makes absolutely zero references to all of the other accusations made against him by employees.

Also glosses over the fact that he thought he could use his wealth and power to buy dirt on the people accusing him only to be doxed himself.

He seems like a narcissistic clown that BrewDog shareholders are better getting shot of once they take the company public.

:agree: There were plenty other valid criticisms of them in the BBC Documentary too: screwing over equity for punks holders with the sale of C class preferential shares to folk using offshore tax havens, the lies about planting trees, buying shares in Heineken etc.

[Hibbyradge]

:agree: There were plenty other valid criticisms of them in the BBC Documentary too: screwing over equity for punks holders with the sale of C class preferential shares to folk using offshore tax havens, the lies about planting trees, buying shares in Heineken etc.

The BBC is specifically mentioned in his statement, as having been given, and then broadcasting, misinformation.

How much of the stuff alleged against him is anyone's guess, but it's clear he has been the victim of a concerted smear campaign.

[Pretty Boy]

Makes absolutely zero references to all of the other accusations made against him by employees.

Also glosses over the fact that he thought he could use his wealth and power to buy dirt on the people accusing him only to be doxed himself.

He seems like a narcissistic clown that BrewDog shareholders are better getting shot of once they take the company public.

What's Martin Dickie up to these days?

In Brewdog's formative years they were very much on an equal footing when it came to publicity but in recent years it seems increasingly to be the James Watt show. The former always seemed the more likable of the two (albeit that could read as damned with faint praise) although I suppose he has likely played a part in some of the more dubious business decisions in recent years.

[Lendo]

What's Martin Dickie up to these days?

In Brewdog's formative years they were very much on an equal footing when it came to publicity but in recent years it seems increasingly to be the James Watt show. The former always seemed the more likable of the two (albeit that could read as damned with faint praise) although I suppose he has likely played a part in some of the more dubious business decisions in recent years.

There is a strange cult of men on Twitter and the BrewDog forum that will do anything to defend him. It’s the same as Elon Musk on Twitter. Like they attract strange incels who see them as alphas that must be followed.

I should also say that I have a small number of BrewDog shares that I got years ago.

[Zambernardi1875]

There is a strange cult of men on Twitter and the BrewDog forum that will do anything to defend him. It’s the same as Elon Musk on Twitter. Like they attract strange incels who see them as alphas that must be followed.

I should also say that I have a small number of BrewDog shares that I put years ago.

I’ve no interest in brewdog and know very little of all past accusations however he came across really well on the “diary of a CEO” podcast and spoke about a lot of the points you’ve raised.

[Sylar]

Had the mispleasure of meeting the guy at a corporate event once.

None of the allegations against him shock me.

[Hiber-nation]

Had the mispleasure of meeting the guy at a corporate event once.

None of the allegations against him shock me.

Ex colleague's brother had the misfortune of working to him. If I posted his opinion it would turn out as a load of asterisks. An utterly vile character.

[James310]

The BBC is specifically mentioned in his statement, as having been given, and then broadcasting, misinformation.

How much of the stuff alleged against him is anyone's guess, but it's clear he has been the victim of a concerted smear campaign.

Is it a smear campaign when multiple people make similar claims about him? Even people on here with some kind of knowledge say he is an odious character. A smear campaign is based on false information and lies, this doesn't sound like that.

[GlesgaeHibby]

The BBC is specifically mentioned in his statement, as having been given, and then broadcasting, misinformation.

How much of the stuff alleged against him is anyone's guess, but it's clear he has been the victim of a concerted smear campaign.

I saw that. I presume that's more in relation to the accusations levelled directly at him from staff rather than the points I raised from the BBC Documentary that were valid?

Buying Heineken shares: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/fabulous/8332380/brewdog-boss-heineken-shares-bbc-documentary/
Preferred C shares: https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk-news/revealed-nearly-a-quarter-of-brewdogs-shares-held-by-tax-haven-firms-3277403

Similar to other posters on this thread, one of my friends worked at BrewDog for a while and he said the culture was shocking.

I stopped buying their beers following the BBC Documentary - despite being a big fan of the product and branding.

[Hibbyradge]

Is it a smear campaign when multiple people make similar claims about him? Even people on here with some kind of knowledge say he is an odious character. A smear campaign is based on false information and lies, this doesn't sound like that.

It clearly was a concerted smear campaign because someone was found guilty of exactly that.

I've no knowledge of the guy and I can't comment on anything other than the article I posted.

It's interesting that no-one seems to condemning the individual who was found guilty though.

Sort of like folk have sat in judgement and decided that he deserved all he got, even though it was criminal.

[neil7908]

It clearly was a concerted smear campaign because someone was found guilty of exactly that.

I've no knowledge of the guy and I can't comment on anything other than the article I posted.

It's interesting that no-one seems to condemning the individual who was found guilty though.

Sort of like folk have sat in judgement and decided that he deserved all he got, even though it was criminal.

In what way was it conserted? One person has been done and rightly exposed. They will get their punishment. There is no concerted campaign though. That's what he wants the narrative to be to try and cast doubt on the many, many other allegations from those who have worked directly with him.

He has kept his job and no repercussions for what sounds like consistently poor behaviour.

He may be the victim in the particular case in question but his wider behaviour means I can't have any sympathy for him.

[Since90+2]

It clearly was a concerted smear campaign because someone was found guilty of exactly that.

I've no knowledge of the guy and I can't comment on anything other than the article I posted.

It's interesting that no-one seems to condemning the individual who was found guilty though.

Sort of like folk have sat in judgement and decided that he deserved all he got, even though it was criminal.

It does seem a bit odd that the majority of the posts are having a go at him, rather than the person found guilty of committing a crime IMO.

[superfurryhibby]

I can't find a link to the outcome of his civil action against the woman. Interesting that it was raised in London.

I did find plenty of articles which refer to the toxic culture in his business. He himself has acknowledged some of the accusations levelled at him.

[CropleyWasGod]

I can't find a link to the outcome of his civil action against the woman. Interesting that it was raised in London.

I did find plenty of articles which refer to the toxic culture in his business. He himself has acknowledged some of the accusations levelled at him.

The civil action was at the Court of Session.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.insider.co.uk/news/brewdog-boss-wins-case-against-28094583.amp

Do you mean the private prosecution, which was raised in London? I can't find anything either, other than the fact it was raised. Perhaps there wasn't enough evidence to proceed on a criminal basis, hence the civil action above

[Pretty Boy]

There's really 2 things at play here.

Firstly the actions of the women in question are poor. Both against the James Watt himself but also against the many other people who have raised concerns about him, it casts doubt on the experiences and testimonies of people who have absolutely nothing to do with this individual.

Equally though it is hardly exoneration for Watt of the many other behaviours of his that have been called into question. Many of the financial dealings of his business are a matter of public record and whilst entirely legal are morally questionable. In it's formative years Brewdog built a reputation on attacking the big boys for their sub standard product and corporate nature, I think everyone quite enjoys an upstart giving the established players a bloody nose from time to time. Perhaps inevitably though these attacks also extended to other independent brewers as well, they fiercely protected their brand and brought all kinds of copyright lawsuits against other small players, there was a ruthless determination to be the biggest and best at what they did, I think trying to trademark 'punk' was the culmination of that and really cemented the fact they had become one of the corporate brands they professed to hate. The various share dealings since do little to dispel that suggestion.

Watt also acknowledged there was at least some truth in the accusations aimed at him personally. He released the stock statement that everyone caught out being a creepy ******* gives. 'I need to reflect, learn and grow blah blah blah'. Quite why men in their late 30s need time to 'learn' not to act in a sexually inappropriate manner towards women is beyond me but there you go. They also never seem to realise there is a need to 'learn and grow' until they are caught or exposed. Accusations about such behaviour, a toxic culture of bullying and harrassment and the like came from hundreds of people willing to put their names to a series of statements, the actions of one individual doesn't negate that. I know some people like that 'we push people hard and if they don't break then they are for us' culture but it's really not acceptable by an reasonable standards.

Like others on this thread I met Watt once and didn't much care for him. I found him domineering, arrogant and very much a wannabe 'alpha male'. There was a programe on TV years ago, before all these accusations, in which Brewdog were searching for a new senior manager (possibly a CEO but I could be wrong). He came over terribly in that. A total control freak which is understandable given he did play a huge part in growing the business. However there was an evident nasty streak as well. There were 3 candidates for the job. One was from one of the big boys, it may even have been Heineken ironically enough, and he was so obviously all wrong for the company. Anyone who has ever sat on an interview panel has been there, you get someone totally unsuitable, you are polite, you get through it then you score them off the list and move on. Watt went out his way to humiliate the guy, there was a 'how dare you apply for a job in my company' vibe to it and it descended into low level bullying that was excruciating to watch.

His statement seems to want to rewrite the narrative to say that he is the victim in all of this. No doubt he is the victim of one individual but there are many other people impacted by Watt who shouldn't be silenced because of this judgement.

[Hibbyradge]

In what way was it conserted? One person has been done and rightly exposed. They will get their punishment. There is no concerted campaign though. That's what he wants the narrative to be to try and cast doubt on the many, many other allegations from those who have worked directly with him.

He has kept his job and no repercussions for what sounds like consistently poor behaviour.

He may be the victim in the particular case in question but his wider behaviour means I can't have any sympathy for him.

"What we now know, and the court has found, is that she was actually one of the perpetrators and was operating an extremally active troll account against me as part of a dedicated network looking to ‘take James down’ (her words)."

That's what I mean by concerted. "Part of a dedicated network ".

As I've said, I don't know what other allegations were made, how many there were, or how many of them were spurious or real.

I do think that it's interesting that people seem to be reluctant to accept that a lot of what was alleged was false despite it being proven in court.

[Hibbyradge]

There's really 2 things at play here.

Firstly the actions of the women in question are poor. Both against the James Watt himself but also against the many other people who have raised concerns about him, it casts doubt on the experiences and testimonies of people who have absolutely nothing to do with this individual.

Equally though it is hardly exoneration for Watt of the many other behaviours of his that have been called into question. Many of the financial dealings of his business are a matter of public record and whilst entirely legal are morally questionable. In it's formative years Brewdog built a reputation on attacking the big boys for their sub standard product and corporate nature, I think everyone quite enjoys an upstart giving the established players a bloody nose from time to time. Perhaps inevitably though these attacks also extended to other independent brewers as well, they fiercely protected their brand and brought all kinds of copyright lawsuits against other small players, there was a ruthless determination to be the biggest and best at what they did, I think trying to trademark 'punk' was the culmination of that and really cemented the fact they had become one of the corporate brands they professed to hate. The various share dealings since do little to dispel that suggestion.

Watt also acknowledged there was at least some truth in the accusations aimed at him personally. He released the stock statement that everyone caught out being a creepy ******* gives. 'I need to reflect, learn and grow blah blah blah'. Quite why men in their late 30s need time to 'learn' not to act in a sexually inappropriate manner towards women is beyond me but there you go. They also never seem to realise there is a need to 'learn and grow' until they are caught or exposed. Accusations about such behaviour, a toxic culture of bullying and harrassment and the like came from hundreds of people willing to put their names to a series of statements, the actions of one individual doesn't negate that. I know some people like that 'we push people hard and if they don't break then they are for us' culture but it's really not acceptable by an reasonable standards.

Like others on this thread I met Watt once and didn't much care for him. I found him domineering, arrogant and very much a wannabe 'alpha male'. There was a programe on TV years ago, before all these accusations, in which Brewdog were searching for a new senior manager (possibly a CEO but I could be wrong). He came over terribly in that. A total control freak which is understandable given he did play a huge part in growing the business. However there was an evident nasty streak as well. There were 3 candidates for the job. One was from one of the big boys, it may even have been Heineken ironically enough, and he was so obviously all wrong for the company. Anyone who has ever sat on an interview panel has been there, you get someone totally unsuitable, you are polite, you get through it then you score them off the list and move on. Watt went out his way to humiliate the guy, there was a 'how dare you apply for a job in my company' vibe to it and it descended into low level bullying that was excruciating to watch.

His statement seems to want to rewrite the narrative to say that he is the victim in all of this. No doubt he is the victim of one individual but there are many other people impacted by Watt who shouldn't be silenced because of this judgement.

It's remarkable but I genuinely didn't know any of that. I was vaguely aware there was some allegation about bullying culture or the like, but I never knew that there were complaints about inappropriate sexual behaviour.

Maybe it we reported more extensively in Scotland than England? :dunno:

I certainly agree that if there are other complainants, they should not be silenced because of this women and her network's criminality.

[Lendo]

It's remarkable but I genuinely didn't know any of that. I was vaguely aware there was some allegation about bullying culture or the like, but I never knew that there were complaints about inappropriate sexual behaviour.

Maybe it we reported more extensively in Scotland than England? :dunno:

I certainly agree that if there are other complainants, they should not be silenced because of this women and her network's criminality.

There were a lot of stories from BrewDog bar managers saying they never felt comfortable leaving their female bar staff alone with him.

Also was there not an accusation of him ignoring a US import ban on Punk IPA and continuing to have it shipped in to the US regardless?

[James310]

There were a lot of stories from BrewDog bar managers saying they never felt comfortable leaving their female bar staff alone with him.

Also was there not an accusation of him ignoring a US import ban on Punk IPA and continuing to have it shipped in to the US regardless?

Yes, all here.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013yfj

[CropleyWasGod]

Yes, all here.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013yfj

There is a lot of that programme that has now been called into question. The BBC initially denied talking to the woman in the Court case. They have now admitted talking to her 4(?) times.

They have also removed some.parts of the original broadcast,as the result of his complaint to OFCOM.

[neil7908]

"What we now know, and the court has found, is that she was actually one of the perpetrators and was operating an extremally active troll account against me as part of a dedicated network looking to ‘take James down’ (her words)."

That's what I mean by concerted. "Part of a dedicated network ".

As I've said, I don't know what other allegations were made, how many there were, or how many of them were spurious or real.

I do think that it's interesting that people seem to be reluctant to accept that a lot of what was alleged was false despite it being proven in court.

Only she has been taken to court though right? Where are the rest of the perpetrators if this is a concerted campaign against him? Right now one person has been found guilty and that's it. Concerted implies collaboration with multiple parties - but we have one person named along with vague references to other bad actors.

On the other hand are literally hundreds of eye witness accounts about his behaviour. It suits him to talk of a concerted campaign against him as it muddies the water on everyone else who are not part of this court action.

Clearly this women has wronged him and he's right to highlight that but it's clear from his statement above and previous comments (as PB has noted) that he isn't taking responsibility for his own conduct and its just everyone conspiring against him.