Self-confident new boss threatens to fire employee, employee fires him instead, getting old managers involved: 'He was stripped of the team leader's role in customer support and was begging not to be let go'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Aug 26, 2025 12:00 AM EDT

It's always a shame when a great working arrangement suddenly sours because a boss with whom you had a strong rapport moved on to greener pastures after being stuck in the same role for far too long without any growth or promise of career progression. It's a roll of the dice as to who is going to take their place: a benevolent team player, or a malevolent psychopath? But regardless of which way it goes, you're suddenly going to be out of years of trust from your relationship with your previous boss that simply can't be replaced. 

Still, as you're sitting there wondering how things are going to go, whether or not you should apply for the job, or even seeking other opportunities yourself, the reality is that it takes many of us a great deal to be spurred into drastic deeds; it's far easier to get by by lying low. But sometimes, especially when it comes to workplace politics, you're pushed into a course of action by bad actors who, for one reason or another, have decided to. 

You know you're in trouble when your new boss begins mandating team-building and "family gatherings" during what is specifically unpaid time, escalating with passive-aggressive insinuations that question your "commitment", even though that whole "commitment" requirement appears to be a one-way street.

But it doesn't stop there, even if it appears to. Before long, things escalate, turning to gaslighting. The issue isn't really anything tangible that you're doing either; the issue appears to just be one thing specifically: you. But even then, you're not really sure that it's you or if they just have to have an issue with something.

Well, it is often said that people don't quit their jobs, they quit their bosses, but, as it turns out, people don't just quit their bosses, they sometimes "fire" their bosses too—just maybe not quite so often. 

It's certainly a harder one to pull off, but this employee managed to do it in a financial tech support job that they held 7 years ago. His new boss clearly had it out for him, but the reasons were somewhat less clear. Luckily, he was able to leverage his solid reputation and good standing to get people asking questions about just what the heck was going on with this boss. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10546810112
    via Mathias Reding

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    "A boss wanted to fire me, I fired the boss"

    So, about 7 years ago I worked for a small company in fintech in customer support. After I completed my training, I worked for two teams, but both were dismantled for different unrelated reasons. So, I joined a team with the guy named Nick. At first he seemed nice and friendly enough. He explained his team's KPI's and what he expected, all was fine by me. I was given a mentor — a girl who was very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic about her job. All was fine, until one day she just disappeared
    via nedodao
  • 03
    Then I started noticing other weird things. Nick started initiating those weird meetings on unpaid time (not a "normal" team socializing but kind of kimbaya thing, about how we're all a family and so on), he was micromanaging, then he started to "forget" about the agreements he made with me (like, for example, he would let me move my lunch break and then pretend it never happened and I was breaking my schedule). And it all came to a head when he tried to frame me for "ditching my job responsibil
    via nedodao
  • 04
    HE WAS REALLY SMUG while threatening me with termination saying that I either do what he says or lose my job and he makes sure I look bad for everyone. I went to my ex-supervisor, the guy who used to be the head of my latest team. He agreed to vouch for me with both his and Nick's supervisor. They also called in my second ex-boss (both of those guys stayed in the company in different roles). And, yeah, it was a small company, so we didn't have HR.
    via nedodao
  • 05
    While all of this was happening, Nick started straight up harassing me in texts. I had to block him (after taking screenshots, ofcourse). Long story short, he was stripped of teamleader's role in customer support and was begging not to be let go. Turned out, this wasn't the first time he harassed someone. And my mentor? It was him who made her quit, too. She told me she had decided that job wasn't worth the fight.
    via nedodao
  • 06
    Nick was moved to card delivery department, which was humiliating for him. Everyone in the company laughed at him (again, small company). He quit soon after. And I stayed in the company for another couple of years, until it was closed, and thus started my career in fintech, which is coming along nicely. Funny enough, our paths with Nick crossed once more, and we're still in the same line of work, so I told my now boss (who trusts me) not to hire him under any circumstances :)
    via nedodao
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10546810368
    via Patrick Langwallner For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 08
    EmperorOfCanada One of life's greatest satisfactions is when you later are able to deliver a negative recommendation which prevents someone from getting a job they otherwise would have, and often save a bunch of people from this sort of monster. Revenge and public service all wrapped in one.
    via nedodao

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