Ripcord Ripcord founder Alex Fielding will step aside as CEO, taking a new role as Chief Product Officer. He will remain on the Ripcord board. This follows an investigation into the company's culture, after a former employee alleged she was fired after reporting harassment and a toxic environment at the company. The former employee charged that Ripcord CEO discussed pornography in front of her and made a lewd comment about her. Ripcord says that its external investigators couldn't substantiate all the claims, but that it uncovered enough examples to work to improve the corporate culture with enhanced training and more board oversight. Alex Fielding, the founder of $250 million robotics company Ripcord, is stepping aside as CEO in the wake of an investigation into a 19-year-old former employee's allegations that she was fired after complaining of a toxic working environment.