'Ted was cast aside to make room for the owner's son': Company man with 40+ years of experiences gets fired over Zoom and replaced by an inexperienced nepo-baby

Imagine giving over forty years to a company and remaining loyal through all of the ups and down of the business, only to one day be called into a Zoom meeting to find out that you are being replaced by the boss's inexperienced son.

It's also worth acknowledging that the director who was being fired was leading the company's IT department. IT is not exactly the kind of job an entry-level employee should be able to walk into, regardless of how connected they are. The boss's son should honestly have no desire to be a part of this. Not only will his qualifications immediately be called into question as a young person leading a crucial department within the company, but he will also be judged particularly harshly due to his familial connection with the CEO. 

As for the boss, he will also inevitably face a ton of scrutiny for making this choice. Clearly, Ted, the former IT director, was a beloved member of the company's community. Not only will his departure be questioned, but so will the boss's leadership qualities given who he decided to promote instead. The boss attempted to anticipate this discourse by offering Ted a healthy severance package with the promise that he frame his departure as his own choice. However, Ted refused to comply, and everyone else at the company figured out the truth fairly quickly.

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  • "Company owner fired 40 year top director to make room for his son"

    An older businessman appears lost in thought while sitting in front of a laptop at a work desk.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

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  • Here's hoping that the boss pays attention the how his employees have responded to Ted's unfair departure. Sure, if Ted has enough sense in him, he will never return to a company that was so willing to cast him aside after 40 years of hard work. However, maybe the boss could use this opportunity to reconsider his choices and to hire someone qualified for IT director position instead of his kid.

  • I work middle management at a big box retailer. My franchise owner recently fired a 40 year veteran company Director (Ted) on a Zoom call. The owner then lied to management in an email and said
    via [deleted]
  • Ted was resigning to pursue other opportunities. He thanked Ted for his services and wished him the best. Ted called everyone before the email dropped to let us know he had been terminated out of nowhere.
    via [deleted]
  • A week later, the owner called a manager meeting via Zoom and introduced his son as the new IT guy. Each week the son takes on more of Ted's role without anyone acknowledging what's happening.
    via [deleted]
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  • The owner and son have not mentioned Ted's name since the email saying he "resigned". It's like he never existed. Ted calls someone in management every few days to express disbelief. Says it feels like a death in the family.
    via [deleted]
  • The owner has offered Ted a severance payment if he, among other things, goes along with the story that he resigned on good terms and doesn't poach any employees with his future endeavors. It is clear to all management that Ted was cast
    via [deleted]
  • aside to make room for the owner's son to take over the company. Ted is in his 60s and had worked for this company for 40 years.
    via [deleted]
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  • An older businessman appears lost in thought while sitting in front of a laptop at a work desk.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • sold_myfortune 9 hr. ago "But Ted, we're FAMILY!!!" said the company owner when Ted got a really great offer from another company about ten years ago.
    via [deleted]
  • one_bean_hahahaha. 8 hr. ago I hope Ted is talking to a good employment lawyer, because this has wrongful dismissal and age discrimination written all over it. He shouldn't accept less than one month's salary for each year of service.
    via [deleted]
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  • YepperyYepstein 8 hr. ago. Companies don't value loyalty at all, and showing them loyalty is losing strategy. An employer is like a life vest that could deflate at any moment, therefore do not hesitate to cast it aside in search of a new one that won't pop as quickly.
    via [deleted]
  • Greedy_Atmosphere_30 . 8 hr. ago Abandon ship before it sinks.
    via [deleted]
  • DeliciousWhales · 8 hr. ago Ah yes, bring in the "IT guy" son to take over from a director with decades of experience. Surely that can only end well for the company ....
    via [deleted]
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  • encryptoferia 6 hr. ago "sir we have trouble" "just turn it off and on again" "hmm" **googles how to turn off and turn on company**
    via [deleted]
  • Dutch-Sculptor 6 hr. ago. So who can teach my son everything he needs to know? Well not the guy who worked there for 40 years and did great work, nope he needs to go.
    via [deleted]
  • zll2244 7 hr. ago . please find another job then for the love of god please call this guy out in front of everyone in a meeting and quit...
    via [deleted]
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  • lordnacho666 · 7 hr. ago Is the son at all qualified to do that kind of work? Running IT without experience is going to lead to your whole business grinding to a halt someday.
    via [deleted]
  • But yeah Ted got scr I don't think it's wrong for you and the others to have a call about what happened, some colleagues might not know. There should be some kind of statement of "we know what you did".
    via [deleted]

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getting fired nepotism employee fired work stories toxic-workplace fired story work coworkers nepo baby toxic-work-environment
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