‘Good luck, you're going to need it’: Overworked employee deletes company data from software he created after CEO fires him without an explanation

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Mar 24, 2024 7:00 PM EDT

Being an employee or being self-employed, there is a constant feud about which one is better. Some would prefer being independent because you get to control the hours in which you work, you don't have anyone to answer to, and you are free to make your own decisions. Others would say that being an employee is actually a lot easier, working the 9 to 5 and then enjoying carefree evenings, without having to carry the burden of being your own boss.

Another huge disadvantage of being an employee is the fact that you are constantly being judged and observed by other people, and it is even worse when you are underappreciated for your hard work. The employee in this Reddit story had to deal with this exact problem, even after they proved themselves as a valuable asset to the company. A year after OP (original poster) joined the company, and after receiving great feedback from the CEO, OP was unexpectedly fired. Wanting to prove just how much the company is going to miss them, OP denies access to the automation software they created while being on the job. 

Scroll down to read the full story. When you finish with this one, click here for another story of a potential hire who laughed at the manager while being interviewed for a job.

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  • 01
    elete "Good luck, you're going to need it"
    via Canva
  • 02
    Merry Christmas to You Too
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 03
    I was hired to replace a retiring dispatcher at a local trucking company. He was expected to train me for his job but over the three months before his retirement he refused to do any
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 04
    training with me. As a result, I created my own dispatching software; which sent updates to all my drivers, connected drivers to the shop, coordinated maintenance schedules, and
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 05
    managed all messaging between my drivers and the office. Once I was on my own I struggled to build clientele and many of our customers left
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 06
    because I didn't know they existed. The only feedback I got from the main office was that I was costing them money. I asked for help and it was refused. During this time the
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 07
    while trucking industry was taking a hit and work was very hard to find. I tried to contact a load broker but the office refused to pay for brokerage fees.
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 08
    A year goes by and the software I created is really making a difference. The shop is happy and the drivers feel like they are being heard; but loads are still hard to find. Christmas rolls
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 09
    around and at the Christmas party I'm presented with many gifts, the CEO has some wonderful things to say about me and I leave there feeling pretty good.
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 10
    The very next Monday I'm called into the CEO's office and he tells me I'm done. It's two weeks before Christmas so they'll pay me to the end of the month, "But today is your last day". I
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 11
    lose all my benefits, retirement plan, and health coverage on the spot. Merry Christmas. So I'm not feeling great. Cue malicious compliance, part of my severance is giving them
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 12
    access to all the software I've written. Fine, here you go. However, it doesn't work if you can't access the cloud, and the cloud is on my private email. It's
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 13
    really to bad I had to clean it up. It seems all the data is gone and the software is useless. Merry Christmas
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 14
    yParticle. 10 hr. ago Sorry, buddy, but nice MC. I guess once they started they just couldn't stop shooting themselves
    via u/yParticle
  • 15
    bilateral_entropy · 9 hr. ago this is why you never automate your job for free either you get ironclad confirmation that you keep your IP, or you get properly compensated for building it for them.
    via u/bilateral_entropy
  • 16
    Cfwydirk 10 hr. ago A case of the company burning the bridge. LOL!
    via u/Cfwydirk
  • 17
    Overall-Tailor8949 · 10 hr. ago While I love the fact the company bit the hand (that was keeping it afloat), it MAY come back to bite YOU if the SW doesn't work.
    via u/Overall-Tailor8949
  • 18
    ETA: I'm expecting downvotes. Actually I think this a PERFECT example of both MC and petty/pro revenge!
    via u/Overall-Tailor8949
  • 19
    TELETOS Dangerous-Role-3652 OP. 8 hr. ago The trucking industry has great software available to streamline and automate everything I did. However, the CEO would not spend a dime
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 20
    to upgrade the office. I still have contacts there and from what I've heard they are trying to keep things going by keeping notebooks and post-its everywhere.
    via u/Dangerous-Role-3652
  • 21
    Captain BaoBao · 3 hr. ago so you did to them what the previous dispatcher did to you. it tells tales about the toxic workplace.
    via u/CaptainBaoBao
  • 22
    DynkoFromTheNorth ⚫ 2 hr. ago Saw it coming, but I still love these stories. Hope you're im a better place now, OP. Also, did they blow up your phone about the missing data?
    via u/DynkoFromTheNorth

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boss workplace-stories employee fired manager job tales-from-the-workplace reddit story ceo overworked-employees workplace Reddit company funny
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