'I helped end his career': Developer ends her old incompetent boss's whole career after he wrongly fired her

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Aug 26, 2023 9:00 AM EDT

Acting like a ruthless cutthroat certainly has its advantages. Unencumbered by the usual social requirements like empathy, mutualism, and reciprocation, you're free to make some agile and dastardly moves with your career—politically and socially. Still, the only friends you'll make will be "yes men" and sycophants, who are really only there to ride your coattails and feed off your scorched-earth rampage to the top, hanging around begging for scraps like a dog at the dinner table. 

When the house of cards eventually topples, these followers will be of no help, and instead of sticking around to defend you, they'll scatter and high tail it for the hills while the wolves prowl and vultures begin to circle, looking to settle a score with you for the wrongs you've committed against them.

It pays to be good or at least kind to those on the way up… because you never know who you'll see again on the way back down—and just one of those people, with the right opportunity, could end your whole career.

This developer shared how she managed to get back at her incompetent boss, who had fired her from a previous job, ending his prospects in the local tech industry. See her story below as shared with a popular online revenge community.

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  • 01
    Product - "I helped end his career." NUTANX
    via Christina @ wocintechchat.com
  • 02
    Font - Posted by u/Leveler_Cleverer_9 Former manager ends my job at the company I loved; I helped end his career in local tech forever
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 03
    Font - I. The background I worked at a very big tech company for a very long time (like decades). Over the years I had worked my way up from being a n00b to a kind of specialist 'fixer' - I became fairly well-known internally as a security/emergency response person. I got assigned the bad or unfixable projects, many of which made news headlines. (I have many stories. That I can never tell publicly, sadly). Suffice it to say that multiple senior vice presidents in various divisions got to know wh
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 04
    Font - At the time of our story I was working on a small security team in a product engineering division. It was a somewhat turbulent time and our team of 8 had weathered multiple re-organizations and had SO many manager changes. It was a lot. But we kept our heads down and did the work, and we all got along just fine.
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 05
    Font - Sidebar (and relevant later): One of the better managers assigned to run our team immediately assigned me a HUGE and complicated and urgently important project to manage. It would involve people in 6 different divisions, had seriously big legal implications, and our Senior VP wanted it to happen by an aggressive deadline within like 4-6 weeks. Oh and my manager was leaving imminently on a long-planned vacation so he apologetically would be away for the next 3 weeks and unable to assist. T
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 06
    Font - been done before, so no one was entirely sure HOW to do it, who all it would require, what steps in what order, some of the key players had what we gently called 'difficult' personalities ... and oh by the way it would definitely make international news and cause a ripple in the industry when we did it. No big whoop. Manager was a decent guy and he felt bad about leaving me with this thorny mess. Aaaaand I did it. We got all the people from all the divisions in a room and mapped it all ou
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 07
    Font - it before the deadline - actually WELL before, for bonus points. And we lined everyone up to get it done. Before we pulled the actual trigger on the VERY BIG THING, I had to attend a meeting with the VP and exec leadership (several levels of mgmt above me) AND with the legal team to present the plan and to assure all of the execs that we were ready and had it all handled. So I looked the VP in the eye and assured him that I got this .... And then I did. The team did the big thing SOONER t
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 08
    Font - II The inept manager A few months after that EPIC project, our good manager left us for another role and someone new moved over from an unrelated division out of nowhere. We'll call him IneptManager. IneptManager did not know anything about security. He did not know anything about emergency response. He didn't know anything about what our division did, in fact - no one on our team had ever heard of this guy. He was that worst kind of middle-manager: self-important, dismissive of everyone,
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 09
    Font - One of IneptManager's many weird quirks was that he didn't think it was appropriate for our team to disagree with or correct each other in front of other people. Things in tech - specifically product development - move pretty quickly, and things change ALL the time. So if some of our team was meeting with someone from another team, and someone something like: "So we decided to make the sky green, and we're on schedule" and someone else on our team chimed in to say: "Actually that's change
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 10
    Font - back 2 weeks, that just happened in an earlier meeting." "Oh, okay cool.". IneptManager would interrupt and say: "We clearly need to get on the same page - let's end this meeting right now and reschedule when my team has all the facts straight." Um, what? That's INSANE. We'd literally never have ANY meetings if we waited until everyone knew all of the same information all the time. Other teams would routinely leave meetings with us with INACCURATE info which affected release schedules, re
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 11
    Font - III IneptManager hostility Shortly after IneptManager became our manager he started being really hostile to me. Not to everyone on the team ... just me. As far as I knew I hadn't done or said anything to earn his hostility. Suddenly after 20+ years at this company I could do nothing right. While this ja didn't actually understand most of what my job was, he was sure I wasn't doing it right. And he was quick to tell me so, and often in front of others. To the point that my co-workers would
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 12
    Font - The thing is: I was the only woman on the team. And I have a disability. Now I've been through some things working in high tech over those decades; it was very much an old boys' club back then. And.. Meh? I was fine. I'm not one to claim discrimination at the drop of a hat or for no reason. However ... when I was trying to piece together the cause of this dude's hostility? Some of his comments were sexist and not at all subtle. He also didn't like that due to my disability (and frankly, m
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 13
    Font - new building; the rest of our team was in open floor plan cubicles which EVERYONE hated. He was INCENSED that I, a lowly direct report (and woman), got an office and he didn't. Um. I had more seniority than just about anyone, so even without my disability I'd have scored the office ahead of him. Note that other MEN in our division got offices too, because again - seniority - and that bothered him less. But I was the only woman on our floor with a door, and I was his subordinate. His ego d
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 14
    Font - There were lots of other things he said - my favorite among them towards the end was him reprimanding me for my 'bad attitude' in a meeting we'd just had. IneptManager had told me beforehand NOT to say anything during that meeting (because he was insisting on sharing INCORRECT information again and he knew I'd want to correct it), so I sat quietly and kept my eyes on the powerpoint presentation or the floor nearly the whole time. When I asked him how I'd had a bad attitude when I hadn't s
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 15
    Font - After realizing there was NOTHING I could do to make this guy happy with my work and to lose his hostility, I finally went to HR to go on the record. I knew they'd do f-all about it, but I wanted to document it at least. So predictably they told me to 'work harder at getting along with IneptManager", and because it wasn't my first rodeo I went back to my office and emailed HR saying "thanks for meeting with me about my concerns about IneptManager. I fear his bias and misogyny will reflect
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 16
    Font - IV: The axe falls And then a few months later he gave me a terrible performance review, as expected. Long story already long: he was trying to fire me for underperformance. Unfortunately for me, the company had started rounds of layoffs all over and it was the worst possible time to be looking for another job internally. And now I had a bad performance review on my record, too. I went back to HR and said: "That thing I said I was worried would happen when we met six months ago? That happe
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 17
    Font - Blah blah blah - when I realized I couldn't find a new gig at my company because of all of the layoffs (sigh) I scored a new job for MUCH more money at a different local tech company, and pretty quickly. (I live in a tech-heavy area; there was lots of shuffling between 3-4 big companies during this time period, and we'd often bump into other company veterans at these other companies. It was a small world). With my track record and references it was super- easy. After THAT was lined up, I
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 18
    Font - Because I had documentation with HR explaining IneptManager's misogyny and ableism going back for some time - and because they'd done fa-all about it, and because there were witnesses who confirmed his behavior - they had no leg to stand on. They agreed to write me a relatively nice check to go away and to not sue them, and I agreed to not talk about the details of my 'separation agreement'. I went down to my lawyer's office and signed the agreement. I looked to see who had signed the agr
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 19
    Font - V: Karma begins This was August of that year that I left. I got my copy of the executed contract in the mail in October. Who signed it for the company? Not HR - but MY EXEC VP. The one who asked for the urgent, highly important, legally complicated project. The guy I looked in the eye personally, and then DELIVERED on this VERY BIG THINGTM he personally asked for, before the deadline he asked for. THAT is who signed off on my separation agreement. I suspect that he had no idea until that
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 20
    Font - I was gone, and I imagine that he likely had MANY questions about WTO had happened. And also: why did they have to pay me a chunk of money on the way out?!! Whoops. I chortled when I saw it. Since the VP knew me and we had some history - and IneptManager was NEW to the division and was one of hundreds of middle-managers he'd likely never heard of - I'm guessing IneptManager had some explaining to do. Mwah hahahaha. I really enjoyed the thought of that.
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 21
    Font - VI: KARMA FOR REALS Cut to November. As I mentioned it was a relatively small tech community in the area, and those of us who worked in security in particular at company X would often encounter other current/former colleagues at company Y or Z or whatever. Heck there was a ton of poaching going on between the companies. One day I got a in-company chat from someone who'd worked in security at my old company - we'll call her Security Colleague. Security Colleague asked me if I knew someone
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 22
    Font - on Security Colleagues schedule to interview for an open management position the very next day! It seems that shortly after my former exec VP had signed my separation agreement contract.... IneptManager was actively looking for a new job at a new company! Heh. SecurityColleague asked me what I thought about IneptManager. I said ... .you know, I can't really talk about it for legal reasons (which - BOOM everyone knows what that means) but if you wanted to ring my personal cell phone later
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 23
    Font - She did. I *hypothetically* shared some stories with her about IneptManager. I also told her where his hot-buttons are the appearance/ego thing, the dominance stuff, etc. etc. And ALL about his misogyny and ableism, which was perfect since SHE was conducting his interview. I may have shared some specific scenarios/questions to ask which I knew would set him off. I wished her luck, and for the love of all that is holy to please call me after (when appropriate ) and tell me how it all went.
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 24
    Font - It did not go well for IneptManager. When Security Colleague rang me I couldn't wait - HOW did it go?? "Well, he got combative and angry and yelled at me - TWICE. During HIS interview to be hired as a manager." (facepalm) There were lots more details, now lost to time. Except: at that company, interviews loops were assessed as such: • Strong HIRE for this role ● • Hire, but not for this role (not a good fit for THIS job but we like them) • No hire • NO HIRE EVER, not for any role
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 25
    Font - IneptManager's interview was rated that last one - NO HIRE EVER. Blacklisted from ANY job, ever, at one of the biggest tech companies in the world. After being pushed out the door of one of the OTHER biggest tech companies in the world. Derp. Shortly after that it appear that IneptManager moved himself and his wife and kids a few states away to work at a smaller company in another region. It took less than six months from when I left my old company for him to be gone as well. Heh.
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 26
    Font - What gets me - still - is that IneptManager thought I was so inconsequential, so unimportant that he didn't bother to check and see where I landed after he forced me out of the company I loved. And when he had to look for a job himself shortly thereafter it also never occurred to him that I'd have connections with - oh, thousands! - of colleagues I'd worked with over the years, some of whom could now be working at Company X or Y or Z WHERE HE WAS INTERVIEWING. And where I'd scored a huge
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 27
    Font - To this day he doesn't know why his interview at Company Y TANKED so badly. And since SecurityColleague was not legally precluded from sharing 'stories she had heard through the grapevine about IneptManager's management problems', it's possible that other of our old security colleagues at Company Z and other companies in this area heard those stories, too. Which means he's unlikely to get a job at any major tech company in this area .. Maybe ever. Definitely not at X or Y - and they are B
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 28
    Smile - And it's all because he's an ae ableist misogynist middle-manager who underestimated lil' ol me. Mwah ha ha ha.
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 29
    Font - harrywwc To this day he doesn't know why his interview at Company Y TANKED so badly. indeed, I think (from reading your tale) the he would be so self-unaware that he would believe that his interview was absolutely 'golden' and that there was absolutely no possible way he would have done anything wrong. So it must be that <insert-crude-comment> of an interviewer that was at fault. Reply Share 2.4k
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 30
    Font - Remzi1993 This reminds me to never ever screw anyone in the tech and IT sector especially specialized personnel. I'm also a web developer and currently studying software engineering. A lot of those so called managers make the same mistakes and think they can do whatever they want. Most of them eventually get chased out of the company. Middle management needs to die off. Reply Share 752 ... Mdayofearth Industries and business functions exchange middle managers and up more often than anyone
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 31
    Font - mrbipty I was hired by a TLA as a cyber security specialist only to be moved(tm) 6 months later to a disk backup role for absolutely no reason just this company liked to move people around. My manager at the time was like "it's all the same you're still a specialist" I was like, err, no, I can hardly spell backup. Middle managers at large IT companies literally can kill the business 180 Reply Share
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 32
    Font - AkisFatHusband Great story lol. Looking back, it was good that you left 46 Reply Share
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 33
    Font - kingdomheartsislight I thought this was too long to read at first, but the pacing had me on the edge of my seat! Screw that guy. Also it's hilarious he got loud with the interviewer. That guy has real problems and it's sad people keep hiring his volatile aO 154 Reply Share
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 34
    Font - jenorama_CA I feel you. I was at the biggest tech company for 21 years and left last year. I was part of many amazing things and basically saw the company rise from the ashes, but Biggest Company will eat you alive if you let it. A combination of bad management and a new hire (a PhD) that didn't believe a word that came out of my no degree-having woman mouth just put the nail in the coffin for me. It's a bummer, but overall no ragerts. Reply Share 35
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 35
    Font - SilverRoseBlade As a woman working as an engineer, kudos for you on this. Rightfully well deserved revenge. 64 Reply Share
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 36
    Font - Wings_in_space This is my story almost. Got fired by some incompent know-nothing with a giant ego. But I mailed the board of directors, and let them know how much money he wasted on sabotaging me and how he was the one blowing up their biggest project ever because he didn't understand hidden messages (similar to putting a s a on Christmas card). He didn't last 6 months... Best day ever. 27 ↓ Reply Share
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9
  • 37
    Font - Beagle-wrangler Awesome! Good job using your well earned social currency to make sure that asOt didn't earn any hard currency where he wanted! 15 Reply Share
    via u/Leveler_Cleverer_9

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