The consequences
The attacks don’t stop when you leave. It took them three hours to contain what I would have stopped in thirty minutes. Three hours of at-risk data. Three hours of contractual penalties.
In the morning, the calls began. Messages. Invitations to emergency meetings. No apologies. No agenda.
I then understood that this was not an isolated incident, but a system that I had tolerated for twenty-three years.
I gathered the facts: incident reports, performance evaluations, certifications paid for out of my own pocket. All my work took place between midnight and six o’clock.
The retention program revealed the truth: the amounts depended on management’s perception, not objective criteria. Jason reassured the executives during the day. I made the problems disappear at night.
When the vice president of operations called me to « provide context », I refused.
« That was the purpose of the bonus, » I replied. « You decided who to keep. »
From then on, everything accelerated. The audits began. The questions too. The nighttime practices were examined.
Lisa disappeared from the organizational chart. Jason tried to fill the void, but the exposure highlighted his limitations.
To leave, finally
Three weeks later, a recruiter contacted me. Day shift position, in a large technology company in Austin. Same technical scope, real career progression.
The offer: $18,000 more in annual salary, better benefits, no retention commitment.
I accepted that same day.
I sent my resignation to Apex: short, factual. Misalignment between responsibilities and compensation.
Jason stayed for twelve months. Without any additional bonuses. He then left.
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