‘25 minutes later I get a freaked-out phone call from the head tech at the US HQ’: Remote worker ordered to return equipment mid-project maliciously complies, sending US HQ of a European manufacturer into panic until they drop the recall

A shiny company spends a whole week ignoring a moving train of revenue to chase a dented lunchbox of hardware that costs less than a catered salad, and the moment someone routes responsibility where the titles claim it belongs, the client starts applauding the wrong inbox, middle managers feel vertigo, and the sacred box turns back into a cheap tool nobody wants to sign for.


Offices love to police objects because they are easy to count, not because they matter, while the one brain that knows the job stays underprotected. Governance picks what is measurable over what is valuable until the forecast looks pale and everyone rediscovers revenue like it is a new invention. Optics outrun outcomes, so audit gold stars get framed while renewals wobble offstage. Shared ownership is a fog machine. When everyone owns it, no one owns it, and the calendar becomes the villain. 

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