I, a Loyal Employee, Bow Before the Unrivaled Honesty and Transparency of My Startup’s CEO

A tale of transparent illusions

Image generated using Midjourney. Prompt used: On a spotlighted stage, a CEO in a sharp suit confronts a loyal employee, both visibly distressed about financial matters. Silhouetted colleagues in the background watch the intense exchange, creating a dramatic scene

You probably know who I am! I’m your next-door neighbor colleague. Spiderman? Nah, just a humble 9–5 worker trying to find the balance between hybrid work and life in this post-COVID-metaverse-crypto-ai-visionpro era.

As a loyal employee, I’ve mastered the art of nodding enthusiastically during every meeting, secretly wondering if my webcam could detect eye rolls on Zoom calls. I remember the time when, during a particularly challenging project, I stayed up late into the night fixing deployments, fueled by nothing but coffee and sheer dedication. The victory felt personal, and I always looked forward to the quarterly bonus for those KPIs.

Just last week, we received our CEO’s emails about bonus delays (thanks, recession?), and, like a devotee, I swallowed the CEO’s promises fully. Yes, my CEO has unparalleled honesty and transparency.

So, despite the uncertainty my colleagues were drowning in, I rallied them to stand united behind our CEO and the executive staff. We must protect our overlords, for they are the showrunners. So, no job-hunting for me, not even if it pays slightly better. And I staunchly advocated against job-hunting to my fellow mates as well…