Self-confident new boss threatens to fire employee, employee fires him instead, getting old managers involved: 'He was stripped of the team leader's role in customer support and was begging not to be let go'

It's always a shame when a great working arrangement suddenly sours because a boss with whom you had a strong rapport moved on to greener pastures after being stuck in the same role for far too long without any growth or promise of career progression. It's a roll of the dice as to who is going to take their place: a benevolent team player, or a malevolent psychopath? But regardless of which way it goes, you're suddenly going to be out of years of trust from your relationship with your previous boss that simply can't be replaced. 

Still, as you're sitting there wondering how things are going to go, whether or not you should apply for the job, or even seeking other opportunities yourself, the reality is that it takes many of us a great deal to be spurred into drastic deeds; it's far easier to get by by lying low. But sometimes, especially when it comes to workplace politics, you're pushed into a course of action by bad actors who, for one reason or another, have decided to. 

You know you're in trouble when your new boss begins mandating team-building and "family gatherings" during what is specifically unpaid time, escalating with passive-aggressive insinuations that question your "commitment", even though that whole "commitment" requirement appears to be a one-way street.

But it doesn't stop there, even if it appears to. Before long, things escalate, turning to gaslighting. The issue isn't really anything tangible that you're doing either; the issue appears to just be one thing specifically: you. But even then, you're not really sure that it's you or if they just have to have an issue with something.

Well, it is often said that people don't quit their jobs, they quit their bosses, but, as it turns out, people don't just quit their bosses, they sometimes "fire" their bosses too—just maybe not quite so often. 

It's certainly a harder one to pull off, but this employee managed to do it in a financial tech support job that they held 7 years ago. His new boss clearly had it out for him, but the reasons were somewhat less clear. Luckily, he was able to leverage his solid reputation and good standing to get people asking questions about just what the heck was going on with this boss.