A Reddit user shared a post explaining a tense incident with their company’s CEO, asking if they were at fault. The employee said they stepped away from work for about 30 minutes and clearly marked their Slack status as “OOO” (Out of Office) before leaving. During this short break, the CEO tried to contact the employee on Slack, but the employee did not see the message because they were offline.
After not getting a response on Slack, the CEO tried calling the employee’s phone, but used an old phone number. The employee explained that this phone number was changed one month ago and the new number was already updated on Slack. Since the old number no longer belonged to the employee, they never received the call from the CEO.
A Reddit user shared a post explaining a tense incident with their company’s CEO, asking if they were at fault. The employee said they stepped away from work for about 30 minutes and clearly marked their Slack status as “OOO” (Out of Office) before leaving. During this short break, the CEO tried to contact the employee on Slack, but the employee did not see the message because they were offline.
After not getting a response on Slack, the CEO tried calling the employee’s phone, but used an old phone number. The employee explained that this phone number was changed one month ago and the new number was already updated on Slack. Since the old number no longer belonged to the employee, they never received the call from the CEO.
Missed call during OOO status
A coworker later reached the employee and informed them that the CEO was urgently trying to get in touch. As soon as the employee got the message, they immediately called the CEO back. When the call started, the employee said the CEO was extremely angry and aggressive. The CEO allegedly said harsh things like, “Are you part of this company?” The CEO also said, “Do you even want to keep this job?”
The CEO also said, “I don’t care about your excuses.” The employee tried to explain calmly that they were marked out of office and that the CEO had called the wrong number. But the employee said the CEO stopped them in the middle and did not listen. The CEO said he never wants his calls or messages to be unanswered. He also warned that this issue could put the employee’s job at risk. Employee questions job expectations
After making the warning, the CEO suddenly changed the topic and ended the call. The employee said the yelling was upsetting, but what hurt more was the suggestion that they were not committed to the company. The employee felt it was unfair because they had clearly communicated their status and kept their contact details updated.
They added that they always complete their work and reply when online, and had never shown lack of effort before. The incident made the employee feel like they were expected to be available 24/7, with no room for breaks or basic human needs. The employee ended the post by asking if they were overreacting, or if this kind of behavior is now “normal” in startup culture.
Public reaction and debate
One Reddit user, MmeVastra, said the CEO’s reaction was not appropriate at all, even if the employee had not updated their status or contact details. Another Reddit user clearly blamed the CEO, saying, “The CEO is the problem, not you.”
That user added that such CEOs often spread stress and anxiety across the company, making employees constantly fear angry outbursts. The same commenter advised the employee to stay respectful, ignore the outburst, and move forward, saying there is nothing the employee can do to “fix” the CEO.
A third Reddit user agreed and warned the employee not to press the issue, so the CEO can save face. That commenter explained that upper management roles can be very stressful, and some leaders develop bad coping habits, which result in angry behavior. They said the CEO was wrong, but pushing back could risk the employee’s job.
The user advised that if the behavior becomes frequent and harmful, the employee should start looking for a new job. They added that if the incident remains a one-time event, letting the CEO cool down could actually improve the working relationship over time.
The incident has sparked a wider debate online about toxic leadership, work-life boundaries, and whether startup culture now expects employees to be available at all times — even when officially marked out of office.