'I need to step aside' | Dan Price was the poster boy for compassionate leadership - was it all a lie?

Dan Price, once dubbed the “best boss in America” after implementing a minimum £59,000 ($70,000) salary for all his workers, and spent years as the poster boy for compassionate leadership, has resigned from his CEO position amid allegations of misconduct and criminal charges.

Price, who started Gravity Payments in 2004 aged 19, told his workforce in an email (which he later shared on Twitter) that he was stepping away from his role because “my presence has become a distraction here.”

He added he was stepping aside to “focus full time on fighting false accusations made against me,” but defiantly added. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Price is facing charges of reckless driving and assault, which he has pleaded not guilty to. He was previously facing another charge of assault with sexual motivation but this has since been dropped, the New York Times reported.