The chief financial officer of Las Vegas entertainment venue Sphere abruptly quit last month after the famously volatile owner of the company ‘yelled and screamed’ at him during a meeting.
Gautam Ranji on October 30 was berated by James Dolan, whose company also owns Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks NBA team.
Dolan was ‘yelling and screaming’ at Ranji, sources told The New York Post.
Ranji ‘calmly’ left the room in the middle of the meeting, and gave his notice to the company’s general counsel.
‘Gautam is very calm and usually can take it and roll with it,’ a source told the paper.
The 68-year-old Dolan, however, ‘is the consummate hammer,’ the source added.
‘He treats everyone like a nail.’
James Dolan (left), the billionaire owner of Madison Square Garden and Sphere in Las Vegas, reportedly ‘yelled and screamed’ at the CFO of Sphere, Gautam Ranji (right). Ranji quit on October 30
Tourists are seen in front of Sphere on September 29
Sphere cost $2.3 billion to build, and dazzles Las Vegas
The source said that the timing of Ranji’s departure, days before the quarterly earnings presentation – scheduled for November 8 – was remarkable.
‘They did a wonderful job burying the news,’ said the source. ‘A CFO quitting less than a week before earnings is unheard of.’
A spokesperson for Sphere, asked by DailyMail.com to comment on Ranji’s departure, pointed to a statement within the company’s securities filing, made on November 3.
‘The publicly filed 8K clearly outlines that his departure from the Company was not a result of any disagreement with the Company’s auditors or any member of management,’ the spokesperson said.
Neither Dolan nor Ranji have commented.
Dolan has taken a hands-on role leading Sphere since the president of MSG Sphere, Lucas Watson, left the company in February after 13 months in the role.
Sphere, which cost $2.3 billion – running $1 billion over budget – opened on September 29, with U2 headlining a series of spectacular shows which have featured guest stars including Lady Gaga.
Dolan is seen at a New York Knicks game in 2019
Dolan is seen at the opening of Sphere on September 29
Bono and Lady Gaga perform at Sphere on October 25
U2 are seen on stage in the middle of Sphere – a venue that has wowed audiences in its first month in action
The Sphere is the brainchild of Dolan, who sketched the first drawing of the venue on notebook paper.
The massive spherical venue, standing 366 feet high, lights up the Las Vegas skyline.
Inside the 516-foot-wide Sphere, a high-resolution LED screen wraps halfway around the 17,500-seat audience.
The venue is equipped with thousands of speakers that will deliver a ‘crystal-clear,’ multi-layered experience.
‘I’m thinking the that the Sphere may have come into existence because of Jim Dolan trying to solve the problem that The Beatles started when they played Shea Stadium,’ Bono said on the opening night.
‘Nobody could hear you. You couldn’t hear yourselves. Well, the Sphere’s here. Can you hear us?’