From Teslas to overseas trips, Toss founder Lee Seung-gun has a track record of turning pranks into perks
A post by Lee Seung-gun, founder and CEO of Viva Republica, the operator behind mobile financial service Toss, went viral on April Fools' Day. In it, he promised to sell his own house to help cover housing costs for 100 employees, news reports said Wednesday.
In the post shared on the company's internal messaging platform, Lee wrote: "Even before founding the company, I felt uneasy about the inequality where some people earn significant profits from real estate while others struggle to survive under the burden of housing costs."
"I plan to sell my home and use what I earn from it to fully cover the rent and loan interest of 100 Toss team members for life," he added.
His plan involves a lottery in which Toss employees who pay rent or loan interest can enter their personal information through a link to be posted on the company’s internal messaging platform by 9 p.m., with winners receiving full support until they own a home, the post said.
It remains unclear whether Lee will follow through on the plan, as he has shared similar posts in the past to mark April Fools’ Day.
“He has shared similar messages around this time each year as a way of expressing his appreciation for colleagues,” a Toss official said.
However, expectations have risen that, even if not carried out exactly as stated, he will host employee reward events.
In 2022, Lee posted that he would give away 20 Teslas and later selected 10 employees by lottery to use the cars free of charge for a year. Last year, the company selected 100 employees for a group trip to Okinawa, Japan.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
