Whilst speaking with Steven Bartlett on his Diary of a CEO podcast on Monday (4 July), BrewDog Co-Founder and CEO James Watt revealed he has sought specialist help to determine whether he has autism, following a string of allegations of bullying from the brewery’s workforce.
The allegations, shared with The Times back in April, detail a ‘cold-eyed’ Watt, who struggles to ‘express empathy and read social cues.’ Reflecting on his behaviour, the CEO was led to speak to specialists, who have shared it's possible he has a mild form of the disability.
Despite the allegations, Watt has taken BrewDog to unseen successes in the drinks market.
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With the opening of the company’s largest bar announced just this week, what is James Watt’s net worth in 2022?
What is James Watt’s net worth?
Current online sources estimate James Watt to have a net worth of £262 million.
However, this calculation is taken from the first venture funding sought by the company in 2017, when American Private Equity group TSG Consumer Partners bought a stake for £213 million.
The company was re-valued in May 2022 at £1.8 billion, which can only suggest James Watt’s net worth has similarly increased.
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Watt met Martin Dickie, with whom he founded Brewdog, as a child in the Scottish fishing village of Fraserburgh.
They both studied at the University of Edinburgh and pursued mundane careers after graduation.
Watt as a fisherman and Dickie as a brewer in England – before deciding to join forces and bring their home-brewed concoctions to a bigger scale.
Thus, BrewDog was established and put into operation in 2007.
After winning a beer competition sponsored by Tesco in 2008, the pair were well on their way to brewing stardom.
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It wasn’t long before they found themselves on the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2011.
Struggling to meet increasing demand, in 2009 the pair formulated a scheme for their drinkers to buy shares in the company and help keep it afloat.
The ‘Equity for Punks’ financing model raised $975,000 in its first round, with its sixth in 2018 gathering $34 Million.
Alongside brewing their signature pints, like the Lost Lager or Hazy Jane, the company have since developed BrewDog venues like their five beer hotels and 74 bars found across the world.
Word of a ‘culture of fear’ manifested by the company’s leadership came about in 2021, when 61 former employees exposed a culture ‘cutting corners on health and safety’ and a toxic culture leaving staff suffering from mental illness.
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At the time of reports, Watt retaliated, referencing the ‘thousands of employees with positive stories’, but has since conceded.
Topics: Business, Celebrity Net Worth, Food And Drink
Alice Lang