Business owner fires employee over minor disagreement, employee's stepson gets payback years later by refusing owner's request to work with him: ‘Do you remember my stepdad?’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jun 16, 2025 7:00 AM EDT

Most of us owe our first jobs to our parents. Whether it is because their education taught us a thing or two about what we want to do when we grow up, or whether it is because they physically helped us get our first job in our chosen field. Either way, our parents were there for us every step of the way, and most of us would do anything to show our gratitude. 

Which leads us to the question at hand: Just how far would we go to pay our respects to our parents for all their help?

It seems as if the stepson in the story below is willing to go quite far in solidarity with his stepdad, who helped him get his very first job in his chosen field. When his stepdad's former employer reached out to him to ask for a business opportunity, the son declined, simply because the same employer had fired his stepdad many years ago.

Keep scrolling to read the full tale, but let's just say that revenge is best served cold…

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    Cheezburger Image 10517298432
    via vadimguzhva

    The image doecs not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Owner fired my dad, then came asking for work. Denied.

    Back in 1997, my step-dad was the operations manager at a company that did telecommunications work. He hired me to work at the company for the summer, but I ended up
    via wilit
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    enjoying the work and made a career out of it. About 4 months into my employment at the company, the owner and my step-dad had a disagreement over something very trivial and
    via wilit
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    the owner fired my dad. Since he's my step-dad, we have different last names, and I didn't feel like I would get caught up in this issue. I had my own issues with this company as well. Mostly
    via wilit
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    not being paid correctly and being denied benefits promised. Ended up working for another 18 months for the company before I left to work for a major
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    telecommunications provider that we had done some work for. At the new company, I eventually took a position where I was responsible for hiring contractors,
    via wilit
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    much like the company my dad and I worked for, to do construction. One day I got a call out of the blue from the owner of the contractor company. He wanted to see if he could get on
    via wilit
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    my list of approved contractors and was hoping we could discuss it over lunch. Typically a project of this type would be a $75k-$200k project, and I would do 20-30 projects per year, so it could be a
    via wilit
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    lucrative source of revenue for them. I agreed to a lunch date with the owner at a fancy restaurant I always wanted to try. His pitch consisted of telling me what his company was capable of,
    via wilit
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    how he valued his employees and took good care of them. He mentioned the list of other companies he's done work for and the quality of the work. I mentioned that I used to work for
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    his company and he clearly didn't remember my name. I also asked if he remembered the guy who hired me, and he said he did. When I mentioned he was my step-dad, the look of panic in his
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    eyes set in. He clearly remembered my step-dad. I closed out the lunch meeting with a thank you for the food and an apology that my contractor list was full of more capable
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    contractors, but would keep him in mind if something were to change. Never heard back from him again.
    via wilit
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    Cheezburger Image 10517303808
    via Khwanchai Phanthong's Images

    The image doecs not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Jazzlike-Vacation230 Was this a small business or a full on corporation?
    via Jazzlike-Vacation230
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    wilit OP The contractor was 50-60 employees when I worked there. No idea how big it was when lunch happened. The company I was working for at the time of lunch was and still is huge. It's one of the top 3 cell/telephone companies in the US.
    via wilit
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    OberKrieger I just love the fact you're tight enough with your stepdad that you're more than willing to strike out for him.
    via OberKrieger
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    wilit OP I lived with him since I was 3 years old, so for all intents and purposes, he was my dad. He is 100% the person I try and emulate in my morals, ethics and how I carry myself. Sadly he p sed away several years ago.
    via wilit
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    BardicLasher "I value my employees." "I worked for you for two years and you have no idea who I am."
    via BardicLasher
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    Oraistesu You would remember a kid that worked for you from 1997-1999 and be able to identify them now that they're in their 40's?
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    wilit OP From the time I left to the time the lunch meeting happened was 9 or 10 years between events.
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    skrunkle From the time I left to the time the lunch meeting happened was 9 or 10 years between events. Revenge is a dish best served cold.
    via skrunkle
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    TheGypsyThread The look of panic - you'll never forget that moment
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    sgt_oddball_17 Be nice to the people you see on your way up. You will see them again on your way down.
    via sgt_oddball_17
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    withthedraco Yeah not providing agreed upon pay and benefits is wild and definitely illegal.
    via withthedraco

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boss workplace-stories employee fired manager job owner tales-from-the-workplace reddit story petty revenge ceo overworked-employees workplace stepdad Reddit company business
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