Techie says he got manager fired after PIP, shares how he challenged the decision: ‘I chose violence’

A tech professional has claimed they got their manager fired after being placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP), detailing the steps they took to challenge what they described as retaliation.The techie said that the manager was placed on a “management coaching plan” within a month and exited the company six weeks later. (Unsplash/Representational Image)In a post on workplace forum Blind titled “I got my manager fired after he tried to PIP me. Here’s exactly how,” the anonymous user said they were put on PIP, but instead of “crying about it”, they chose to fight back. “Everyone on here just rolls over when they get PIPed. ‘Update your resume, start interviewing, take the severance.’ Nah. I chose violence,” the techie wrote.The user said that the PIP came after they escalated a project delay that was “100%” their manager’s fault. Calling it a “classic retaliation move,” the employee said they spent 2 weeks building a case instead of accepting the decision.The techie shared that they first gathered internal communication records, including Slack messages, to highlight inconsencies. “Dude literally told me in writing ‘great work on X’ 3 weeks before saying I was ‘underperforming on X’ in the PIP doc,” the user wrote, adding that they documented everything.The employee also said they then filed a formal complaint with the company’s ethics team rather than regular HR, alleging retaliation and attaching evidence. They further reached out to two former colleagues who had been placed on PIPs the same manager, with one agreeing to provide a statement.The techie further escalated the matter to their skip-level manager via a “polite email” outlining facts, timelines and supporting documents. “Sent a very polite email to my skip level framing it as ‘I want to make sure leadership is aware of a pattern.’ Not emotional, just facts + dates + evidence,” they wrote.Eventually, the employee said that the manager was placed on a “management coaching plan” within a month and exited the company six weeks later. The user acknowledged that such outcomes may not always be common, but they argued that strong documentation of retaliation can become a liability for companies, forcing action. “Most people don’t even try because they assume the company is always going to side with your manager. That’s true maybe 70% of the time. But if you have actual evidence of retaliation? That’s a liability for the company and they will cut your manager loose to protect themselves,” the post read.“Stop being a doormat. Companies don’t have loyalty. Managers don’t have loyalty. The only person looking out for you is you,” the techie concluded.(Also Read: Techie says laid-off big tech employees are making job hunt harder for freshers: ‘Not even getting rejection mails’)Social media reactionsThe post quickly caught the attention of social media users, triggering mixed reactions.Some users expressed caution, suggesting the employee’s position could still be at risk. “You bought yourself a year, OP. Expect to be on the chopping block again, or find another team right away,” one user wrote.“Your skip is a snake. He definitely knew about your manager’s intention to PIP you and gave his blessings. But he chose an easier path to get rid of your manager instead. From his point of view, he just needs to get rid of an L6 for this perf cycle, doesn’t matter if it’s a sdm or sde. You need to watch your back. You are still on the bottom of the stack rank. Switch teams while you still can,” commented another.Others, however, praised the move, calling it a pushback against the misuse of PIPs. “You are Blind’s hero now. Guys we need to do this more often and support others doing this. It’s high time managers stop using PIP as a weapon,” one user wrote.“On behalf of the rest of the workers out there who have been victimized & bullied out silly managers. THANK YOU !” said another.“Hats off !! Hope the manager learned a lesson about misusing authority. if more ppl start doing this, half the managers at Amazon will be fired for all their horrible acts of throwing ppl under the bus,” commented one user.(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)