How One Software Engineer Outsmarted a Blame Game 4,000 Miles from Home
When Work Sends You on a Blamecation: The Petty Revenge Saga of a Software Engineer
There’s nothing quite like being flown halfway across the world for work—except, maybe, realizing you’ve been summoned not for your expertise, but as a convenient scapegoat for someone else’s dumpster fire. This is exactly what happened to Redditor u/LikeASomeBoooodie, who recently shared their epic tale of workplace pettiness and poetic justice on r/PettyRevenge.
Imagine: you step off an international flight, jet-lagged but ready to iron out a few last bugs in your company’s industrial software. Instead of troubleshooting, you find yourself swept up in a blame tornado, courtesy of a local team desperate to save face. What happens next? Well, let’s just say this engineer didn’t just pack a laptop—they packed receipts.
The Setup: Welcome to the Blame Olympics
Our protagonist works for a global company specializing in industrial software—think complex systems managing real-world machines, where one faulty module can bring the whole operation to a screeching halt. The software is mostly managed remotely, but when a North American project hits endless delays, the local team cries for help.
Enter our hero, who, upon arrival, finds that the “other” key software module is the real problem child. Instead of fixing their buggy code, the locals have been busy pointing fingers at everyone in reach: mechanical, electrical, fitters, and now, the new guy from overseas. It’s not just technical issues at play here—there’s a full-blown blame game in progress, and our engineer is the latest contestant.
The Plot Thickens: Gaslighting Goes Global
For a week, our outnumbered engineer does what any professional would: investigates, documents, and tries to help the local team debug their mess. But when the accusations start flying—now aimed squarely at the “outsider”—things get spicy. The local crew crafts a wild theory (at a meeting the engineer couldn’t attend, naturally) to persuade a non-technical project manager that the overseas software is to blame for missed milestones.
Cue the international conference call, where technical explanations are drowned out by shouts and finger-pointing. Classic.
The Turnaround: Document Everything, CC Everyone
Here’s where the story shifts from “workplace drama” to “chef’s kiss” petty revenge. Realizing he’s being set up, the engineer doubles down on documentation: logs, root cause analyses, emails—complete with management in the CC field for maximum transparency. He demands evidence from the accusers, who can’t produce anything beyond vague complaints and hand-waving.
He even uncovers that this blame-and-deflect routine is a pattern with this team, with others reaching out to share similar stories. Knowledge is power, and our engineer is about to drop the hammer.
The Exit: Leave Them to Their Own Devices (Literally)
With the paper trail in place and his own management in the loop, the engineer formally withdraws from the project, citing an unsafe and toxic environment. HR, recognizing the red flags flapping in the wind, green-lights his departure. The project manager panics—without the expert, the client sign-off is doomed, and the local team’s chances of fixing the issues themselves are, frankly, laughable.
As the engineer packs to leave, the local team scrambles, denies, and even starts to unravel. The delicious irony? By trying to pass the buck, they’ve now got the whole world watching—and no one left to clean up their mess.
Lessons Learned: Don’t Mess with the Documentation King
What makes this story so satisfying isn’t just the well-earned comeuppance. It’s a masterclass in professional self-defense:
- Keep receipts: When the blame game starts, documentation is your best friend.
- CC management: Transparency can turn the tide when accusations fly.
- Know your worth: Don’t let yourself become the fall guy for someone else’s incompetence.
- Trust your instincts: If you sense a setup, shift gears and protect yourself.
It’s a wild reminder that sometimes, the best petty revenge isn’t sabotage or sabotage by omission—it’s letting the truth (and the paperwork) do the heavy lifting.
Conclusion: What Would You Do?
Have you ever found yourself the target of a workplace blame game? How did you handle it? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to check out the original Reddit post for all the juicy details. If you enjoyed this saga, hit subscribe for more tales of workplace woe and sweet, sweet revenge!
Remember: when someone tries to drag you down, make sure you’re holding the receipts on your way out the door.
Original Reddit Post: Tried to drag me across the world to blame me for your failures? Get left high and dry.