Inexperienced CEO Self-Destructs Courtesy Of His Own Ego When He Fires The Wrong Contract Employee
We adjust to changes at work virtually all the time. With splendid ideas continuously coming into the minds of workers and new methods taking off, it's simply the way that it is.
However, these transitions can sometimes incorporate a totally different regime and owners who have a lot of confidence in their capabilities that they don't see past their own noses. Well, a Reddit user with the name NotLagrange created a post on r/MaliciousCompliance about that precisely.
The OP works as a logistics consultant and had a long-term agreement with a friend who inherited a machine shop belonging to his family. This machine shop was teetering on bankruptcy, and the OP’s job was "optimizing the production method for both existing contracts and future contracts," for which he "had gotten a couple of patents for producing some intricate parts."
The OP then got the job, but made sure to draft a contract that says that any patent developed in the course of his work will be retained by him. All was working out fine until the pandemic constrained him to sell the business to an oblivious entrepreneur who had no experience in the business.
The OP, being in charge of logistics, gave the new owner a tour of the place, and apparently, he wasn't sure what precisely the OP’s job was, so he thought it was unnecessary. The new boss started restructuring and laying off workers while cutting different benefits that they enjoyed.
A Reddit user was given an ultimatum by his new boss: accept a huge decrease in his salary and lose all benefits or risk being unemployed.
[ ADVERTISEMENT ]
He also went ahead to give the OP an ultimate offer to accept a huge decrease in salary and lose benefits or risk being fired. However, what the new boss neglected was that his employee had filed two patents that were essential for the survival of the company.
The OP chose the latter option, but the boss was in for a big surprise. What happens next after this?
Well, stick around to read the entire story.
[ ADVERTISEMENT ]
The OP made a post with regards to how the boss's choice ended up leading the business into bankruptcy.
[ ADVERTISEMENT ]
Got a job years ago
[ ADVERTISEMENT ]
My first long term contract
[ ADVERTISEMENT ]
Took a lot of time and work
[ ADVERTISEMENT ]
Giving the new boss a tour
[ ADVERTISEMENT ]
My contract negotiation
[ ADVERTISEMENT ]
Fast forwarding...
Negotiating time
The royalties deal
The patent holder
The first meeting
Threatening to sue
Looking for a replacement
Later on, the author added an update saying that they chose to reach out to a few of the co-workers who remained to find out more about the plans of the new boss. The entrepreneur told the OP's friend about the patent issue and stated that he was not particularly concerned and that he had previously dealt with restrictive complications.
It appears to be that the new boss had recruited a patent legal counselor to know precisely what should be changed to the process for it to never encroach. In only a couple of days, the Reddit thread gathered over 11.6K upvotes and more than 300 comments from individuals appreciating the OP for remaining true to their standards.
Production line patents
From the OP
Alexander the great
This was the nuclear option
Posts like this sustain me
How did you do it?
Whatever this says...
It is really amazing
The literal legal keys to the kingdom
Send him a friendly email
The new boss misjudged his capacities and lost clients, workers, and his entire business. The situation is probably not going to be settled soon, but the OP is now discussing with his legal advisor a thought he has of giving the business back to his friend as a birthday present.
Let us know your thoughts about this story in the comments below.
