Members of The Coca-Cola Co.’s legal department reacted to news of general counsel Bradley Gayton’s abrupt resignation Wednesday with shock—followed by a “sigh of relief,” according to a source familiar with the situation.

“The mood now is: it’s a sigh of relief for the entire group, everyone in legal,” said a person at the company, who agreed to speak about the Gayton situation on the condition of anonymity. “He came in with all of these aggressive ideas, and they were just very unrealistic expectations. He didn’t want any feedback from the leaders who had been there.”