Redditor puts in his resignation for career growth, but the CEO allegedly begins to harass his family and demands he stay. Turns out, it was for his own good

Reddit user u/Fun_Hovercraft5881 just got a life-changing lesson in corporate dynamics after eight years at an Australian startup. The software engineer took to Reddit to share what he initially saw as concerning behavior from his CEO. The compilation of his perspective was uploaded to r/BestofRedditorUpdates. His take quickly spiraled into a cautionary tale about career moves, stock options, and the importance of reading between the lines.

The engineer wrote that he was the 9th employee, and as such, held a 3% stake in the company. However, he believed it was worthless because the firm was supposedly struggling with funding. When he landed a more senior role at a larger company, he resigned and noted that he received glowing recommendations. Then he claimed that his CEO and manager began pressuring him to stay till May. He claimed that the CEO’s wife also called his partner to plead for an extension.

At the time, the engineer felt completely creeped out. He wrote that he had no non-compete clause. Additionally, his new employer was ready to go, and he was eager for a pay bump from $180,000 to $200,000. He felt he was being harassed to stay for no reason, especially since he wasn’t working on any time-critical projects. He took to Reddit, asking if the calls were legal and how he could make them stop. However, many commenters told him to pay attention.

The Redditor ignored other advice

The community was quick to tell him to consider the fact that he had been on good terms with the CEO. Many users pointed out that 3% is a significant stake and that the specific request to stay until May, without a work-related reason, was a massive indication that something big was happening behind the scenes. One commenter noted on the compilation, “I was reading this like THEY’RE ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE YOUR SHARES WORTH LOADS.”

The Redditor didn’t listen to the warnings. He was frustrated, anxious, and felt his loyalty was being taken advantage of. He wrote that after he received another call from the CEO, he had his partner’s brother, a lawyer, draft a letter demanding that the contact stop. 

The company allegedly folded immediately, paid out his notice period, and cut all contact. He thought he had won, even securing three extra weeks of paid leave. He left, started his new job, traveled to Europe, and even got engaged. Everything seemed to be going perfectly until he returned to Australia in May.

That’s when the truth came out. In his final update, the engineer wrote that he met with his former manager for coffee and learned that his old company had been acquired for over 35 million Australian dollars. The CEO had supposedly engineered a deal where three major customers bought the firm. The engineer learned that the company hadn’t been able to disclose the confidential acquisition details because it would have jeopardized the entire deal.

When the deal went through, equity holders were allegedly cashed out. If the engineer had stayed, his share would have been worth approximately $960,000. Apparently, even the non-shareholding staff received significant bonuses, and key employees were offered 100% of their salary as a retention bonus. His first reaction was anger, and he threatened to sue for his share. So they sent him receipts showing that the CEO had been trying to make him stay so he would get his payout.

When the engineer had threatened legal action the first time, they had ceased trying to get him to stay since “Any leak or sign of impropriety would sink the whole deal.” Now, with this proof in hand, he stated that they warned him against legal action. He admitted that he had no case, so he withdrew the threat of a lawsuit and apologized.

Reddit was brutal but honest with him. Many users pointed out that the glowing reference he received from his manager was a sign that the company wasn’t trying to sabotage him, but rather support him. Others noted that the specific timeline was a dead giveaway. As one user put it, “I feel bad for him, but he failed to pick up on the pretty blatant hints from the CEO and his manager.”

The engineer is now struggling with the aftermath, dealing with the reality of having walked away from nearly a million dollars. He also said that he is working with a psychologist to process the regret. Now he and Reddit know that when the company pushes you to stay, it is about the value you hold.

Regret, unfortunately, comes after the consequences of one’s actions. Last year, Elon Musk expressed regret for some of his messages about the administration. More recently, Kanye issued an apology for his behavior over the past few years.