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 it is.

However, these transitions can sometimes incorporate a totally different regime and owners who have so much 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 very issue.

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 obtained a couple of patents for producing some intricate parts."

The OP then secured the job but made sure to draft a contract stating that any patent developed in the course of his work would be retained by him. Everything was working out fine until the pandemic forced him to sell the business to an oblivious entrepreneur who had no experience in the industry.

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 entailed, so he thought it was unnecessary. The new boss started restructuring and laying off workers while cutting various 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.

Scott Graham (not the actual photo)

He also went ahead to give the OP an ultimate offer: accept a huge decrease in salary and lose benefits or risk being fired. However, what the new boss neglected to consider 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?

Well, stick around to read the entire story.

The OP made a post regarding how the boss's choice ultimately led the business into bankruptcy.

NotLagrange

Got a job years ago

NotLagrange

My first long-term contract

NotLagrange

Took a lot of time and work

NotLagrange

Giving the new boss a tour

NotLagrange

My contract negotiation

NotLagrange

Fast forwarding...

NotLagrange

Negotiating time

NotLagrange

The royalties deal

NotLagrange

The patent holder

NotLagrange

The first meeting

NotLagrange

Threatening to sue

NotLagrange

Looking for a replacement

NotLagrange

Later on, the author added an update stating 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 informed the OP's friend about the patent issue and stated that he was not particularly concerned, claiming he had previously dealt with restrictive complications.

It appears that the new boss had recruited a patent legal counselor to understand precisely what needed to be changed in the process to avoid infringement. In just 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

Broote

From the OP

NotLagrange (OP)

Alexander the Great

TellThemISaidHi

This was the nuclear option

CoderJoe1

Posts like this sustain me

Shibefield

How did you do it?

ConfigAlchemist

Whatever this says...

ZiggerTheNaut

It is really amazing

Unasked_for_advice

The literal legal keys to the kingdom

anonymousforever

Send him a friendly email

princeofthemist

The new boss misjudged his capabilities and lost clients, workers, and his entire business. The situation is unlikely to be resolved 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.

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