Even when you rephrase it charitably, it still sounds like the acquirer's CEO is talking trash about someone these employees have followed for years.
At best, it's a "you guys are great, but your ex-boss is a terrible negotiator and didn't know what you were worth." There's no reason to say that aloud.
It wasn't that the founder was a bad negotiator, he was just outsmarted. The agreed share price was tied to a metric that the acquirer understood much better than the founder.
At best, it's a "you guys are great, but your ex-boss is a terrible negotiator and didn't know what you were worth." There's no reason to say that aloud.