Since news broke more than two weeks ago about Motricity’s plans to lay off 250 of 350 employees in Durham and move the high-tech company’s headquarters to Bellevue, Wash., numerous questions and a great deal of criticism have been generated about the company’s management.

Much of the reaction in blog posts and e-mails to news media – what a Motricity spokesperson described as “ugliness” – has focused on Motricity Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ryan Wuerch.

What’s fact? What’s fiction? WRAL.com and WRAL Local Tech Wire tried to find out.

Some of the allegations and questions circulating online: Did Wuerch receive an interest-free loan for his home? Did the company pay for a birthday party? Does he use company staff to run personal errands for him? Has he been aggressive in the use of his Christian faith in communicating with employees?

Questions have been raised about the role of his wife, Shawntel, in the company. Is Shawntel, who won the Miss America crown in 1996, on the company payroll? What duties does she perform?

Online critics also have accused management of excessive spending, ranging from its new headquarters, to its trade show booths to serving meals at the headquarters on china.

Motricity has raised more than $350 million in venture capital – one of the highest totals on record for a North Carolina-based company.

On Tuesday, Motricity chose to react to the questions and criticisms in two separate interviews. A company spokesperson agreed to speak on the record but declined to be identified.

“We will generate $100 million in revenues this year, and more than $1 billion (in transactions for mobile content delivery) will be passing through our system,” the spokesperson said. “We got here by making tough decisions and by being strategic. When you go through what we are going through, there will be unhappy people.”

What follows is a Q&A with the Motricity spokesperson and some additional background.

Question: Did Ryan Wuerch receive an interest-free loan from Motricity to finance the acquisition of his home?

Answer: No.

Background: According to Wake County property tax records, Ryan and Shawntel own a 9,664 square foot home in the Brier Creek subdivision of Raleigh. Its assessed value, including half-acre lot, is $1,557,745.

Question: Did Wuerch celebrate a birthday with an event that was paid for by Motricity?

Answer: Absolutely not. Wuerch paid for the party.

Question: Is Shawntel Wuerch on the payroll for Motricity? If not, when did that end?

Answer: She is not on the payroll. That ended two years ago.

Background: In 2001, Shawntel was one of the first employees of the company that ultimately was merged with Durham-based Pinpoint to form Motricity. Before Noreen Allen joined Motricity in 2006, Shawntel directed marketing for the company. After Allen’s arrival she became responsible for community affairs and outreach.

Question: What is Shawntel’s role with the company?

Answer: She is very actively involved in community affairs and local charities. Both Ryan and Shawntel are very involved in the community. She is not being paid.

Question: Does Ryan Wuerch utilize Motricity staff for personal errands?

Answer: On occasion, if Ryan is working an 18-hour day and is in meetings all day he may ask someone to get his lunch or to pick something up. I don’t think that’s unusual. You want your executive, your CEO, to be in meetings being productive all day long.

Does his administrative assistant sometimes go out and get his lunch? Absolutely. Show me a busy CEO that doesn’t do that.

Question: Some people have said that Ryan Wuerch has been quite strong in professing his faith, his Christianity, in dealing with employees.

Answer: A lot of this is ridiculous. I’ve never experienced anything like that. I don’t believe it to be true.

Question: Motricity management has been accused of extravagant spending, from its headquarters to trade show booths.

Answer: In the early days, we were a good company with good technology but we were very small. We made it to the shortlist of some of the largest companies such as Cingular, BET and MTV against competing platforms. Sometimes you have got to act bigger than you are. You have to demonstrate that you are a player. You have to build a brand. You’ve got to look the part.

Question: Is it true meals are served at Motricity using china?

Answer: The plates we have are from Costco.