No offense to the wealthy, but it often seems with more money comes less common sense. And there is perhaps no better example of this than a Redditor’s boss, a guy who likes to flaunt his wealth while in the next breath lamenting that he can’t afford the most basic parts of owning a business — and leaving his workers in the lurch in the process.
The boss announced he couldn’t make payroll just minutes after showing off his $100,000 Tesla Cybertruck.
In the annals of oblivious bosses, this guy has to rank at number one. The worker explained in his Reddit post that he works for a small construction business that works mainly in the retail industry.
“Our clients tend to be big box stores,” he added, “along with some medium-sized jobs here and there.” Which means the company is pulling down some serious bucks. But it certainly doesn’t seem to be anywhere near enough for his boss — neither monetarily nor emotionally.
Brandon Woyshnis | Shutterstock
After berating his employees for being ‘lazy,’ he forced them to go outside and admire his new Cybertruck.
“I was taking a break in the back talking to some of the other co-workers,” the worker wrote, “and my boss walks in and starts screaming at us.”
His boss called them all lazy for taking a break and accused them of not working hard enough to meet his standards. All this, even though they “had been on the clock for half the day already and just needed a break.”
But that was only the opening salvo. “The crazy part?” he went on to say. “He makes us all go outside into the parking lot and shows off his new Cybertruck.”
Brandon Woyshnis | Shutterstock
For the uninitiated, the Cybertruck is Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s latest concoction for the car company. The bizarre-looking DeLorean-esque car starts at a cool $61,000 and can go for as high as $100,000 depending on the options you choose.
Now, making your employees sit and ogle your potentially six-figure car is bad enough. Doing so after just berating them for taking a break is on a whole other level. But what this guy’s boss did next? Hoo, boy… strap in.
His boss then announced he couldn’t make payroll because ‘the government’ was destroying his business.
Not sure where to start here, besides an eye roll and an “Oh brother.” Sorry, buddy, did the big bad government try to make you pay taxes again? Can’t imagine how hard that is for you. Get well soon.
But it can’t be hurting him too badly if he has a car that costs as much as a state-school bachelor’s degree, right? You’d think! But nope!
“Right after showing us off the truck he said he’d be late on payroll because ‘the government’ was messing with our paychecks again,” the man wrote.
OK, first of all, that’s not a thing. Does this guy think Joe Biden is a payroll clerk who sits at the Resolute Desk cutting check stubs out of QuickBooks?
Honestly, he probably does, because as the worker put it, “the guy is a total simp for … right-wing drivel that is passed around constantly. He talks about how democrats ruin his business and are always hurting small businesses like his.” LOL, OK then.
He’s also a “simp” for “the latest gadgets,” as evidenced by the Cybertruck, a product that has pretty much been an unmitigated disaster riddled by widespread recalls, people nearly getting their fingers cut off, and, most recently, the near-death of a baby who got trapped in the car in 100-degree Arizona heat when its battery failed and locked all the doors.
In short, a real genius made this stupid car, and real geniuses are the ones buying them, and yes, you should be reading “real geniuses” with the most sarcastic tone possible, because we’re talking about people who buy six-figure cars that DON’T WORK and then wonder why they can’t make payroll for their employees.
People urged the Redditor to fight back against his boss’ incompetence.
Respectfully, this guy isn’t a successful business owner — he’s a mark, a sucker, a mug! And people urged the Redditor to not allow himself to be victimized by his incompetence.
They urged him to start by refusing to work any further until he gets paid. Labor lawyers say that any time your pay is withheld for any reason, you should report your boss to the Labor Board, which will often compel them to pay up now, or else.
In many states, you’re also eligible to draw unemployment if you haven’t been paid, whether you’ve actually lost your job or not, so be sure to check your local laws.
The Tesla wannabes of the world may be trying to create a country where workers have no rights, but for now, we still do. Not being paid is a red line that should never, ever be crossed — and when it is, you should fight back as hard as you can, whether your boss was enough of a doofus to blow 100 grand on a Cybertruck or not.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice, and human interest topics.
