'Ted was cast aside to make room for the owner's son': IT employee with 40+ years of experience gets fired and replaced by inexperienced nepo baby

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Aug 28, 2023 8:00 AM EDT

Is this business owner trying to run his company into the ground? It would almost be a better decision on his part to make his inexperienced nepo baby son his co-CEO. Whoever thought that firing the IT guy with over 40 years of experience on the job and promoting the owner's son instead should be, well, fired! 

 

What happened to Ted, whose story was shared by a coworker via this Reddit thread, is unfortunately all too common. Ted was given a generous severance package in exchange for a promise that he would never tell his former coworkers the truth about what happened. Essentially, the CEO wanted everyone in the company to think that Ted resigned after so many years on the job. However, the truth was that Ted's firing was merely part of an agenda to gradually promote CEO Jr. and to make everyone pretend that Ted, an institution at the company, never existed. 

 

Keep scrolling below for the full story and to see how Ted's firing riled up folks in the comments section. When you're finished, feel free to check out this workplace story about an employee who was pressured by their Karen coworker to come in early and work for free. 

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  • 01
    Computer - "Company owner fired 40 year top Director to make room for his son"
    via Christina @ wocintechchat.com
  • 02
    Font - Company owner fired 40 year top Director to make room for his son I work middle management at a big box retailer. My franchise owner recently fired a 40 year veteran company Director (Ted) on a Zoom call. The owner then lied to management in an email and said Ted was resigning to pursue other opportunities. He thanked Ted for his services and wished him the best. Ted called everyone before the email dropped to let us know he had been terminated out of nowhere.
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 03
    Font - A week later, the owner called a manager meeting via Zoom and introduced his son as the new IT guy. Each week the son takes on more of Ted's role without anyone acknowledging what's happening. The owner and son have not mentioned Ted's name since the BS email saying he "resigned". It's like he never existed. Ted calls someone in management every few days to express disbelief. Says it feels like a death in the family.
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 04
    Font - The owner has offered Ted a severance payment if he, among other things, goes along with the story that he resigned on good terms and doesn't poach any employees with his future endeavors. It is clear to all management that Ted was cast aside to make room for the owner's son to take over the company. Ted is in his 60s and had worked for this company for 40 years.
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 05
    Font - sold_myfortune. 9 hr. ago "But Ted, we're FAMILY!!!" said the company owner when Ted got a really great offer from another company about ten years ago. 2.4k Reply Share
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 06
    Font - one_bean_hahahaha 8 hr. ago I hope Ted is talking to a good employment lawyer, because this has wrongful dismissal and age discrimination written all over it. He shouldn't accept less than one month's salary for each year of service. 744 Reply Share
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 07
    Font - YepperyYepstein. 8 hr. ago Companies don't value loyalty at all, and showing them loyalty is losing strategy. An employer is like a life vest that could deflate at any moment, therefore do not hesitate to cast it aside in search of a new one that won't pop as quickly. 683 Reply Share
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 08
    Rectangle - Greedy Atmosphere_30. 8 hr. ago Abandon ship before it sinks. 183 Reply Share
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 09
    Font - DeliciousWhales 8 hr. ago Ah yes, bring in the "IT guy" son to take over from a director with decades of experience. Surely that can only end well for the company... 187 Reply Share
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 10
    Font - . encryptoferia 6 hr. ago "sir we have trouble" "just turn it off and on again" "hmm " **googles how to turn off and turn on company**
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 11
    Rectangle - Lazy-Jeweler3230 · 8 hr. ago owners and And managers wonder why were not loyal to them.
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 12
    Font - BussyBuster69er . 7 hr. ago REMEMBER EVERYONE YOUR EMPLOYERS ARE NOT LOYAL TO YOU, DONT BE LOYAL TO THEM. IF AN EMPLOYEE EVER ASK YOU WHY YOU ARENT LOYAL TO THE COMPANY ASK THEM WHAT HAVE THEY DONT TO SHOW LOYALTIES TO YOU
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 13
    Font - Dutch-Sculptor · 6 hr. ago So who can teach my son everything he needs to know? Well not the guy who worked there for 40 years and did great work, nope he needs to go.
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 14
    Font - zll22447 hr. ago please find another job then for the love of god please call this guy out in front of everyone in a meeting and quit...
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 15
    Font - lordnacho666 · 7 hr. ago Is the son at all qualified to do that kind of work? Running IT without experience is going to lead to your whole business grinding to a halt someday. But yeah Ted got screwed. I don't think it's wrong for you and the others to have a call about what happened, some colleagues might not know. There should be some kind of statement of "we know what you did".
    via u/No_Video_1265
  • 16
    Human body - Calbinan 9 hr. ago That severance better be really frickin' good.
    via u/No_Video_1265

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nepotism boss workplace-stories fired work stories toxic-workplace job work toxic-boss Horrible Bosses reddit thread Reddit company business toxic-work-environment
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