Colleague Taking Credit for My Work: AITA for Setting Boundaries at Work?

Some people don’t recognize a favor, they just recognize a chance. In this Reddit post, a 28-year-old tech worker says their coworker, Alex, keeps showing up in team meetings like the star of projects OP poured time into.

At first OP told themselves it was a misunderstanding, but the pattern got too specific to ignore. Alex allegedly takes credit for major ideas and whole project chunks that OP worked on, and because performance and recognition matter in their collaborative company, the stakes are way more than hurt feelings.

OP confronted Alex privately, and instead of owning it, Alex got defensive, accused OP of being overly sensitive, and the tension stuck around even after Alex started being “more careful.” Now OP is distancing themselves and refusing to keep helping, and the question is whether that boundary makes OP the asshole.

Original Post

So I (28M) work in a dynamic team at a tech company. Recently, my coworker, let's call them Alex (27NB), has been taking credit for some of my ideas and projects during team meetings.

At first, I brushed it off as maybe a misunderstanding, but it kept happening. These weren't just small contributions - they were significant parts of projects I put a lot of effort into.

For context, we work in a highly collaborative environment, so individual contributions are crucial for performance evaluations and recognition. Each time Alex claimed credit for my work, I felt frustrated and undervalued.

I decided to confront Alex about it privately, expressing how their actions made me feel.

Surprisingly, Alex got defensive and denied ever doing such a thing. They even insinuated that I was being overly sensitive and competitive.

Since then, I've noticed Alex being more cautious about directly taking credit for my work in meetings. However, the dynamic has shifted, and there's an underlying tension between us.

I used to enjoy collaborating with Alex, but now it feels strained and awkward. Despite the improvement in Alex's behavior, I can't shake off the feeling of being taken advantage of.

I've started distancing myself from projects involving them and focusing on my individual tasks more. So AITA for refusing to continue helping Alex with their tasks and keeping my distance after the credit-taking incidents?

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It’s also like the coworker who kept invading the desk space and rearranging belongings.

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OP brushed off Alex’s credit-taking at first, but every meeting where Alex “claimed” OP’s ideas made the frustration pile up fast.

When OP finally confronted Alex privately, Alex denied everything and hit back with the “you’re too sensitive and competitive” line.

Sure, Alex got more cautious about saying things out loud, but the vibe between them turned tense and awkward overnight.

That’s why OP started avoiding projects with Alex and focusing on individual tasks, basically cutting off the help that Alex might still try to benefit from.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Share your perspective in the comments below.

Nobody wants to be the brains behind the presentation and then get blamed for it.

Before you call it over, see what happened when the manager refused to share a “slack” with a coworker.