Campbell Soup Company has fired a senior executive after a secretly recorded conversation — now at the center of a Michigan lawsuit — captured him making racist remarks about Indian employees and sneering at the company’s own products as food “for poor people.”
The termination of Martin Bally, Campbell’s former vice president of information technology, became effective Tuesday. The company said Wednesday that after reviewing the recording, it concluded the voice was indeed Bally’s.
“The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused,” the company said. Campbell’s added that Bally’s behavior “does not reflect our values.”
A 90-Minute Recording That Sparked a Corporate Reckoning
The firing follows a lawsuit filed by Robert Garza, a former Campbell’s employee who says he faced retaliation after trying to report Bally’s conduct. According to the complaint, Garza recorded a November 2024 meeting about his salary — an exchange that stretched over an astonishing 90 minutes and captured Bally making racist and derogatory comments.
NBC News obtained the audio, which allegedly includes Bally calling Indian workers “idiots” and dismissing Campbell’s products as “highly processed” food for “poor people.”
Campbell’s said it first became aware of portions of the audio on Nov. 20, shortly after learning of the lawsuit.
A Whistleblower Who Says He Was Fired for Speaking Up
Garza claims he attempted to report Bally’s behavior to his manager, J.D. Aupperle, in January 2025. Instead of being supported, the lawsuit alleges, he was discouraged from contacting HR — and then abruptly fired later that month.
“This situation has been very hard on Robert,” Garza’s attorney, Zachary Runyan, told NBC News. “He thought Campbell’s would be thankful that he reported Martin’s behavior, but instead he was abruptly fired.”
Garza is seeking monetary damages.
Neither Bally nor Aupperle responded to requests for comment.
A Company Scrambling to Reassert Its Values
Campbell’s emphasized Wednesday that it is “proud of the food we make,” adding that the disparaging comments about its products and customers were “not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd.”
The company also signaled it is reviewing the broader circumstances that allowed the situation to escalate into a legal and reputational crisis.
A Broader Corporate Moment
The case arrives at a time when U.S. companies are under increased scrutiny for workplace culture and how they respond to discrimination complaints.
Campbell’s swift firing of Bally — once the recording became public — may not ease questions about the company’s internal handling of Garza’s report months earlier.
For now, Campbell’s is trying to reassure both employees and customers that the remarks of one executive do not define the company.
But for Garza, who says he lost his job for trying to do the right thing, the road to accountability is far from over.
