Employee takes over coworker's role to help save failing company, coworker claims they're making a mistake, only to be proven wrong when stocks go up: 'The clients are now happy'

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Feb 10, 2026 1:00 PM EST

Getting a chance to prove your worth to your workplace, especially to those who doubted you, is a highly satisfying experience.

There are plenty of ways one can prove that their employment has helped the company they joined. You can look at the data, track clients' satisfaction, and even, in the case of the software engineer in the story below, look at the stock market. These options, and many others, can be a great tool to show your boss, the clients, and even some jealous ex-coworkers, just how valuable and even talented you are.

Not that these moments are why we do what we do, or why we work hard, but they sure are a nice bonus. Who doesn't love getting the confirmation that all the hard work they've put in has paid off? Who doesn't love praise?

When you take over someone else's role, and all they tell you is how big a mistake you are making, it is only natural to feel even more driven to prove them wrong. Just because they didn't do the job properly doesn't mean you will. Sure, it makes sense that they don't want to face the possibility that they were the reason the company was failing, but going as far as telling their replacement that they're dumb for taking the job… that might be going a bit too far.

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  • Guy Checking Stock Market Charts on Phone and Laptop.
    via Karola G f

    Guy Checking Stock Market Charts on Phone and Laptop.

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

  • Took over a role after being told I was an idiot for it... turns out the market disagreed

    Software engineer here. I joined a new Company A exactly 1 year ago, as team lead.
    via mpanase
  • I literally replaced a guy who left for Company B because "it was shit and about to burn up in flames".
    via mpanase

  • When this software engineer agreed to replace an employee at “Company A” as a team lead, they did so knowing that this guy was not great at his job. The clients were unhappy, coworkers were burned out, and many issues needed fixing. However, this guy refused to admit that the problems were his fault and insisted that joining the company was basically the same as boarding a sinking ship. 

    It wasn't long before he was proven wrong.

    Not only that, but the guy himself proved he was the problem after he joined a different company, and brought it down as well. Keep scrolling to read how that happened.

  • On his way out he was very vocal about how I was an idiot for joining Company A, how he was off to a "powerhouse" and how I'd regret it.
    via mpanase
  • For the few weeks we overlaped, he really liked giving me a daily reminder of how much the stock for Company A had fallen the last few years, and how much his new company's stock had gone up in the same time.
    via mpanase
  • ed Fast forward to today... Turns out I've mostly been: * Calming down and bringing back to sanity so many colleagues who were burnt out * Fixing so many issues that he left behind, so many half-a "solutions" Putting out fires for clients who were about to leave, making them feel taken care of * Giving the C-suite reality checks (they were lied to for so long) and a reallistic plan forward for the tech Those same clients are now happy, stable, and renewing.
    via mpanase
  • Internal sentiment is way better. Fewer emergencies. Actual planning instead of panic. Meanwhile, purely for fun, I checked the stock today: * Company A: 26% UP since * I joined Company B: 26% DOWN since he joined I haven't said a word to him (yet).
    via mpanase
  • Still trying to figure out how to do the petty thing "with class" :) Sweet sweet petty revenge served by the market.
    via mpanase
  • Man with Laptop on Desk Terrified by Stock Market Chart.
    via Karola G

    Man with Laptop on Desk Terrified by Stock Market Chart.

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

  • Kundrew1 One software engineer at a public company? Doubt
    via Kundrew1
  • mpanase Original Poster's Reply Let's be fair, one guy didn't make the company go 26% up, and neither did another guy make the company go 26% down. Company A is smaller and I'm leading one of the 3 products it sells, so I've had some influence. But not 26% worth influence. Company B is reall big. Unless she shot somebody, pretty sure he had zero influence on it. The guy still felt like insulting others' choices under a criteria that's proving him way wrong, though :)
    via mpanase
  • ImAlsoNotOlivia He will not see himself as the common denominator.
    via ImAlsoNotOlivia
  • AccreditedMaven No need to do anything. He will be checking the stock price because he wants a " told you so" moment.
    via AccreditedMaven
  • SentimentalScientist I feel like this is more "living well is the best revenge", but love it all the same!
    via SentimentalScientist
  • Foecrass Wish him a happy work anniversary when it comes up on LinkedIn with something like "can you believe it's only been a year..."
    via Foecrass
  • Aniso3d Sounds as if he's been the problem at both companies
    via Aniso3d
  • GuairdeanBeatha Take the high road and say nothing. At some point his new bosses will do it for you. One of the supervisors at my first job hated me with a passion. I was a couple of years older than his son, who was of course perfect, and he decided I was wrong in every way. He actively sabotaged work assigned to me. I move on to another company and went back a year later to say hello to a couple of people who became friends while I was there. Shortly before that, his son was arrested for posse
    via GuairdeanBeatha
  • Nothalffast The most classy thing you could do is never think about him again. It's not worth your time.
    via Nothalffast
  • Psycho_Si don't say anything. just send him a photo of the stock difference and that's it.
    via Psycho_Si
  • DarthYodous Negotiate a percentage bonus from Company A for your repairs, then... Tell Company B what happened to them, how it happened to Company A, what you did about it and finally, what it would take to get you away from Company A to fix it for them too. Roll your Company A bonus into Company B stocks while they're low before the fix. Just keep following the guy from Company to Companyz building your reputation as the fixer. If he ever leaves the industry, secretly hire Adam Sandler to take
    via DarthYodous

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boss workplace-stories employee manager job tales-from-the-workplace coworkers Stock Market software workplace company
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