Boss stole his employee's software and fired him to claim credit — he had no idea the programmer had planted a surprise in the code

Employees often struggle under a problematic boss because the power dynamic always favors the superior. However, when an opportunistic manager tried to steal credit for software he initially dismissed, a worker (u/unhappy_taste) stood their ground and exposed him before the whole office. On July 11, 2020, the employee shared how they took on the boss by embedding a secret code that allowed them full access to the software even after they resigned. Their post has received over 7,000 upvotes on Reddit. 

Blow to the boss' ego

The incident dates back to 2019 when the employee was working at a finance company. Having a background in computer programming, they proposed a software to their boss, saying it could help reduce 500 man-hours per week by automating a specific task. The boss refused, insisting that it wasn’t possible. To prove their hypothesis and improve their CV, the employee executed their plan and shared it with their boss.

The worker shared that the employees in the IT department were lugubrious, so just one email from a senior manager was enough for them to allow a new software program to be loaded on the system. So the boss took permission and executed the code. Contrary to his expectations, the code actually worked. But instead of complimenting the employee, he took it as an insult and banned them from operating the software. 

Cunning betrayal

Things took an unexpected turn when the boss presented the same software without crediting the creator and secured a raise and a promotion. Afterwards, he demanded that the employee submit the entire code or get fired. Enraged, the employee put in their resignation almost immediately. In reality, this is what the boss wanted, so he could claim the credit for the software. But little did he know that the programmer had inserted a malicious code module in the executable file. After resigning, they changed it from 1 to 0 to ensure that no one could run the software without their permission.

Later, ex-colleagues told the worker that the manager was exposed during a meeting. Well, when he started his system to show the software's demo, his system froze, leaving him stewing in his own juice. "That idiot boss's promotion and raise got cancelled because he couldn't produce what he promised," they said.  Meanwhile, the employee presented the same software and got a better job where they were more appreciated for their work. Then the other night, the haughty boss called them. Drunk and angry, he raged at the employee for what he did. "I feigned ignorance and quoted something like shit happens to shitty people and blocked his number," the employee wrote. 

Credit-claiming boogeymen 

A study published in Frontiers outlined a similar scenario where managers claim credit for their subordinates’ ideas and how it negatively affects their team’s dynamics. The study highlighted that employees in such circumstances usually feel deprived of fairness and feelings of anger and injustice towards their organization. Similarly, a Bamboo HR survey of 1,000 U.S.-based employees indicated that 44% respondents cited "bad bosses" for leaving their jobs, with one of the reasons being this offensive "idea-claiming behavior." Another survey, conducted in September 2019 by Korn Ferry (as cited by FE News), reported that nearly half (48 percent) of the 804 employees said their boss took credit for something they’ve done. It means what the employee experienced isn't uncommon, but not many have the guts to stand up to such an opportunistic boss. 

'Well played.'

Meanwhile, reacting to the Reddit story, u/compleks_inc commented, "These are the ProRevenge stories that make me want to invest some time in learning a thing or two about computers.  Well played, sir." u/kazehana85 said, "I like how crappy bosses steal work and expect no pain from it; it's like shooting yourself in the idk somewhere and expecting to survive."

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