Better CEO Vishal Garg. Better Mortgage startup Better is laying off 9% of its staff, or about 900 people, TechCrunch reported. The company recently hired 7,000 people and is set to go public with a $6.9 billion valuation. The firm also got a $750 million cash infusion from its backers, which include SoftBank. Online mortgage startup Better is laying off 9% of its staff, or about 900 people, TechCrunch reported Wednesday. The firm hired 7,000 people ahead of an imminent SPAC merger with blank-check company Aurora Acquisition Corp to go public that puts the value of the company at $6.9