Having your effort overlooked or taken over by someone else can be deeply frustrating, especially after investing intense time and energy into a task. Sharing his experience on the Indian Workplace subreddit, one Reddit user expressed disappointment over how a senior colleague allegedly took ownership of work that was entirely his.
According to the user, the situation unfolded after he conceived a complete product concept within just three days, dedicating himself relentlessly to developing it. He also personally pitched the idea to a client, which resulted in a successful follow-up interaction. However, instead of recognition, he later discovered that his senior was stepping forward to receive appreciation for the achievement.
In a follow-up comment, the user described how he carefully navigated the issue without directly confronting anyone. He explained that a director had contacted him for a brief conversation to congratulate him on how well the presentation had been received. During the discussion, the director asked him to continue working on the same idea.
The user responded by calmly stating that the concept had originated from him and casually acted unaware that his senior had presented it as their own. He then asked the director for his thoughts on the idea. This response appeared to momentarily confuse the director, which the user noticed. He went on to explain that he had only been given two days and had done the best he could within that limited timeframe.
To further support his claim, he discreetly shared his workspace, showing how the idea had been built from the ground up, and sought the director’s professional feedback. Although he remained extremely anxious throughout the conversation, he felt an overwhelming emotional release once the call ended, nearly breaking down in tears. The silver lining, however, was that the leadership team now clearly understood who had genuinely created the idea.
The incident sparked widespread discussion among fellow Redditors. One commenter sympathised with the user and remarked that such experiences are common in corporate environments, where visibility often matters more than actual effort. They stressed that if employees fail to actively promote their contributions, others may seize credit without hesitation.