A recent update in the subreddit r/BestofRedditorUpdates brought back a story from r/MaliciousCompliance that demonstrated how a workplace power trip can backfire. Originally posted by Reddit user u/ACFF, the story details how a CEO’s attempt to play favorites with a new hire ended up gutting the company’s entire client base. The Reddit post is the kind of corporate drama that feels incredibly relevant, even years later.
The original poster (OP) was a general troubleshooter who traveled between Ontario, Canada, and several US states. One day, he and his colleague, Jim, were summoned to the head office in New York City. There, they were blindsided by the news that their department was being split. The CEO, ‘Bob,’ introduced his new hire, ‘Karen,’ and informed them that she would be taking over.
The board expressed confusion about the sudden restructuring. When the new hire came up, OP offered to train her. However, when she marched in, it was with a condition. She pointed to OP and Jim and said, “As long as these two stay out of my way.” OP noted, “Jim and I are both shocked and insulted to be spoken of in this manner. We are both very good at our jobs and before today have never seen this woman in our lives.”
OP and Jim followed the new instruction to the letter
Bob immediately backed her up, ordering the OP and Jim to have nothing to do with Karen and to restrict their work to Canada. Hilariously, the fallout was quick. Within a week, US clients were complaining that Karen was missing appointments and ignoring emails. When she eventually reached out to OP for help, he stayed true to his directive and refused to interfere with her work.
OP noted that over the next few months, the emails from the US clients sparked an idea. He met with Jim and together they resigned, started their own firm, and the clients followed them in droves. By the end of two months, they had 80 percent of the US clients and 90 percent of the Canadian clients. As OP later learned, the board eventually fired Bob.
As one Redditor noted in the comments, “I love it when they bring in very inexperienced people off the street and put them in positions of leadership. The smart ones ask for help (that you so kindly offered) but the dumb ones do exactly what she did. Look at how much money they saved lol….” The author replied, “A CEO’s Salary’s Worth. Plus my and my partner’s salary. Lol.”
Some readers were skeptical about the story and asked about the lack of a non-compete clause, but the original poster clarified, “We had all our contracts checked really carefully before we filed to start our own company. Our lawyer was surprised as well. All the consultants we hire have non competes.”
As for Karen, one commentator was fascinated by her confidence. “I honestly can’t imagine having the chutzpah at 23 to come into a new job fresh out of college, be told I’m charge of in-person client support for all US clients, which apparently is across several states, and telling the guy who has been doing my job to stay out of my way.”
According to Indeed, there are 15 good reasons to leave a job. One of the reasons mentioned is the supervisor’s leadership style. They state that having a supervisor who doesn’t provide clear, constructive feedback or trust their team to do the job as they should is a massive red flag. Some of the other considerations are: the lack of work-life balance, a lack of advancement opportunities, an underperforming employer, and a change in company policies.
A supervisor can heavily influence how an employee views their role. Recently, a TikToker shared the dramatic moment they quit in front of fellow staff and the manager, explaining that the new boss was the reason she couldn’t bear it anymore. In Georgia, a TikToker stepped up to share the unique beef with HR that led to a woman who was recently promoted being suddenly fired.
For OP and Jim, starting their own firm allowed them to grow beyond the constraints of Bob, Op reported back that they’ve since hired seven consultants and are thriving. It’s a satisfying conclusion to a story that, while it sounds like a movie plot, serves as a grounded lesson in the importance of respecting the people who actually keep the lights on.
Published: Jul 7, 2026 01:35 pm