Former Paystack CTO Olubi Contests Dismissal Over Misconduct Claims; Hints at Legal Action.
Ezra Olubi, Paystack’s co-founder and former CTO, claims he was unfairly dismissed from the company over allegations of sexual misconduct. Olubi disclosed his termination in a blog post on Saturday, November 23, 2025. The issue gained traction in mid-November when a social media post accusing Olubi of abusive behavior went viral, prompting public scrutiny of explicit tweets he had posted between 2009 and 2013.
Paystack had previously confirmed that it suspended Olubi and initiated a formal investigation, pledging to appoint an independent investigator to oversee the review process. Yet, Olubi’s blog post, “Terminated,” disputes the fairness of the process, asserting he was dismissed while the investigation remained incomplete and before he could offer a defense. He stated that his long-held reputation “as co-founder and technical leader at Paystack, have been called into question because of information circulating online.”
Olubi revealed that the company’s board suspended him and launched an “independent” investigation, which prompted his silence. He explained his decision: “Once that process began, I chose not to make any public statements. I did this to avoid interfering with the investigation and because I expected a fair, thorough and unbiased review of the allegations being discussed online.”
However, Olubi claimed he was not granted due process, stating, “I was not given a meeting or an opportunity to respond before my contract was ended,” adding that the termination “appeared to contravene the terms of [his] suspension and the company’s internal policies.” He suggested his silence allowed “assumptions and misrepresentations to spread without challenge.” Olubi maintained that the controversial, resurfaced tweets do not reflect his professional or personal behavior: “Those who know me personally or professionally understand that the posts being circulated do not reflect my conduct or the way I have lived my life.”
Defending his character, Olubi wrote that he has always “conducted myself in a manner that respects everyone’s dignity and safety,” and indicated that his legal team plans to “explore possible steps in response” to his termination. The initial complaint that triggered the controversy came from an individual detailing issues from a previous personal relationship with Olubi. This led to the re-examination of highly explicit tweets Olubi posted between 2009 and 2013, some containing inappropriate content concerning colleagues and minors; he has since deleted his X account. Paystack, the company Olubi co-founded with Shola Akinlade in 2015, is a major African payments platform that was acquired by Stripe for more than $200 million in 2020.
