'He was on the Zoom call the whole time': 30-year-old remote worker bashes talkative colleague Jake in front of the entire team

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Aug 11, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

Would you rather be caught bad-mouthing someone on Zoom by accident, or would you rather be on the other end, and have someone mock your presentation skills? It's hard to decide which is more mortifying. I'd probably choose the latter: at least then, you have the sympathies of your coworkers. If you're the person who goes on record saying impolite things about the dude who's been droning on and on for the last 45 minutes, your coworkers might be silently thanking you for speaking up, but they'd never admit that. Instead, they'll probably act horrified that someone dared to speak the whole truth in front of everybody. 

This person waited until his long-winded colleague was frozen on a Zoom call to start talking smack, and it didn't go over well! He could've easily just made a lighthearted joke out of his remark. He basically muttered under his breath that because the coworker's screen was frozen, maybe they'd all "get through this meeting before lunch for once." He could've easily made that into a jokey remark if he'd only smiled and laughed… but it seems like the way he spoke these words didn't have the kindest tone. Or maybe it's just not the kind of office where jokey banter is appreciated. Even if he just doesn't know his coworker Jake that well, that could've been the cause of the awkwardness. 

However, this person also might just be overthinking it. Maybe Jake did take their remarks as a joke, and just doesn't really care that much in the first place. 

After that, read the incredible saga of the "anvil guy," the dude who claims to have been ordering and returning 110-pound anvils on Amazon Prime's dime for the last 8 months to test the limits of free shipping: "This may be the funniest thing someone has ever chosen to do with their use of free will." 

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  • 01
    Man wearing earbuds waving into Zoom video call with windows in background
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 02
    This happened yesterday and I haven't stopped reliving it every 5 minutes since. So I (30M) work remotely for a small marketing company. We do weekly zoom check-ins on Mondays, and today's was going as usual, mostly boring updates, small talk etc. One of my coworkers, we'll call him Jake, is notorious for overexplaining everything. The dude could talk for 15 minutes about a font change.
    via u/Hot-Abrocoma-9476
  • 03
    Anyway, about halfway through the meeting my manager said Jake was having tech issues and had "probably dropped off." His little Zoom square was still there, but it was frozen, muted, no video and looked offline.
    via u/Hot-Abrocoma-9476
  • 04
    Video call with man wearing earphones on left side listening to woman on right side wearing earbuds and explaining
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 05
    So I, being an idiot, unmuted myself and muttered: "Thank God... maybe we'll actually get through this meeting before lunch for once."
    via u/Hot-Abrocoma-9476
  • 06
    You guessed it...the square unfreezes and Jake comes off mute and goes: "Still here, man. Just listening." Afterwards, the most uncomfortable silence happened. The rest of the team just froze. Like no one said a word for a solid 5 seconds. My manager made some awkward joke and tried to move on, but I wanted to melt into the floor and never be seen again.
    via u/Hot-Abrocoma-9476
  • 07
    Laptop computer showing video call with 14 participants in front of coffee mug and potted plant
    via Compare Fibre on Unsplash+

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

  • 08
    I messaged Jake privately right after and apologized. He just said, "All good," but like... there's no way it's all good. I've been that guy who overshares in meetings before. Now I'm the guy who got caught talking shin a professional setting like an absolute moron.
    via u/Hot-Abrocoma-9476
  • 09
    TL;DR Thought a coworker dropped off our Zoom call, made a snarky comment about him dragging meetings out, turns out he was still there and heard everything. Now I get to enjoy the crushing weight of that moment until the day I di.
    via u/Hot-Abrocoma-9476

    He'll never forget this day… and his coworkers won't either! If they work in the office together, this person will just have to wait and see if the vibes or off, or if Jake has already forgotten about it and moved on with his life. 

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