Twitter Train Wreck: Why We Can't Turn Away From PayPal Exec's Shocking Meltdown While a riveted audience gawks on, PayPal has responded to the Twitter tirade of former employee Rakesh Agrawal, calling his meltdown 'tasteless' and 'worrisome.'

By Geoff Weiss May 6, 2014

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

"Winning" or not, Rakesh Agrawal seems to have taken a page from the Charlie Sheen playbook.

The former director of strategy for PayPal is currently starring in his own spectacularly disturbing Twitter meltdown, after hurling expletive-ridden missives at former colleagues last weekend that have since been deleted.

Though he's parted ways with the company, Agrawal is still ranting around the clock -- lashing out at his former employers, describing a new company he's founding alongside his assistant and her 3-year-old daughter and dispatching wacky requests, like: "I will pay someone $500 to bring me a bottle of water and $250 prepaid credit card to AT&T store at 48th and 5th. Need it in next 20 minutes."

Whether sleep-deprived, drunk or mentally ill, Agrawal seems to be riding high on the attention he's generating as a riveted audience gawks on.

But his tirades are also starting to garner genuine concern.

In a statement on PayPal's website today, president David Marcus called Agrawal's actions "shocking and sad." His "mad rants" illustrate that he "chose to turn a career-defining moment into career-destroying infamy," Marcus writes.

"If you're a close friend of Rocky's," he added, "I'd strongly suggest getting to him sooner rather than later, as his behavior is extremely worrisome."

A seemingly knowing Agrawal tweeted earlier today: "My apologies for all of the weirdness over last few days. I was doing a lot of things that made sense in my head."

See some of his crazier messages below:

Building a company at warp speed is so much fun.
— Rakesh Agrawal (@rakeshlobster) May 6, 2014

I am not drunk.
— Rakesh Agrawal (@rakeshlobster) May 6, 2014

Anyone know how i can legally give equity to a three year old? Or pay her?
— Rakesh Agrawal (@rakeshlobster) May 4, 2014

Geoff Weiss

Staff Writer. Frequently covers digital media.

Geoff Weiss is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com who frequently covers digital media.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Most Popular

See all

Fundraising

Working Remote? These Are the Biggest Dos and Don'ts of Video Conferencing

As more and more businesses go remote, these are ways to be more effective and efficient on conference calls.

By Bryan Lovgren

Growing a Business

The Best Way to Run a Business Meeting

All too often, meetings run longer than they should and fail to keep attendees engaged. Here's how to run a meeting the right way.

By Jacqueline Whitmore

Business News

Some Costco Items Might Be More Expensive If You're Buying Online Rather Than in Store — Here's Why

Shoppers noticed a price difference on some big-ticket items.

By Emily Rella

Starting a Business

How to Find the Right Programmers: A Brief Guideline for Startup Founders

For startup founders under a plethora of challenges like timing, investors and changing market demand, it is extremely hard to hire programmers who can deliver.

By Vasily Voropaev

Science & Technology

Cyber Attacks Are Inevitable — So Stop Preparing For If One Happens and Start Preparing For When One Will

Cyber resilience is not just about building walls of protection but also having the resilience to bounce back stronger. This article explains why embracing resilience should be a top priority for businesses to ensure continuity in the ever-expanding cybersecurity landscape.

By Rakesh Soni