Laid Off Software Developer Takes Code With Him, and Takes Down Company
Bosses need to learn to stop messing with their software developers.
Published 1 year ago in Ftw
Bosses need to learn to stop messing with their software developers. It's a lesson that a few higher-ups learned the hard way after they decided to lay off one of their software devs just days before he was ready to release a big project he'd been working on.
After submitting the first version of his new tool for testing, the developer was informed he had been laid off. As a result, he was told to delete all of his work for "security reasons." Understanding that this provided him with an outstanding opportunity for malicious compliance, he decided to delete his "95% done" project too. As phillypharm states in the story's Reddit thread, "Higher-ups often think demos are finished products, or someone junior can finish them up."
Unfortunately for the bosses, that meant no project for them. Ironically, the developer received a "30-day notice," meaning that he is still technically employed. Had his firing been civil, the bosses might have kept their code; but that would have been too big of an ask.
In the meantime, the developer claims that he is having successful interviews with a rival company. Hopefully, they'll be smart enough not to double-cross their software man.