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[HiredN00bs]

I've been very critical and waxed ascerbicly about 343 Industries in the past, but criticizing them for this seems really bonkers. In almost no other setting would people apply this thinking, that publicly berating an organization and/or its members wouldn't injure or destroy your chances from being able to join it.

I hope they'd reconsider for this fellow's sake, but this isn't something to try to pin them on.

 

[Bits N Pieces]

June of this year he posted it?

Fuck, I thought it was from years ago from the the way the original post framed the situation.

Sorry dude, you fucked it up yourself.

 

[Lothars]

I have a strong dislike for how much 343 has killed the halo franchise that being said 343 handled this the right way, no wonder the job offer was revoked. That's not even appropriate to say a couple years ago let alone a few months ago.

He deserved to lose the job.

 

[Randomizer]

What a bunch of babies. I've certainly said a lot worse about developers 343 included lol.

It was also clearly a hyperbolic statement. He genuinely didn't want them all to loss their jobs and be in a situation similar to his current one.

 

[DeuceGamer]

Is 343 run by Donald Trump? Seems like some petty shit to fire him at the last minute over an old forum post. Literally everyone in the world at this point has at least one regrettable comment sitting on a forum or blog somewhere on the internet that they hope will never be found. Firing somebody over anything less than hate speech is just stupid.

Especially if it's a company that you are super passionate about and on forums, where people are frequently over the top hyperbolic.

 

[sirap]

He could have easily explained himself or clarified that it was a heat of the moment thing. Do you honestly think he wanted everyone fired at 343i? The statement in itself was too ridiculous to take seriously.

Then he shouldn't have made it in the first place.

 

[BiGBoSSMk23]

It doesn't sound like he would have been a very constructive dude to work and get along with, going by that comment.

Ego diva attitude like that don't sit well with anybody, let alone a workplace that's supposed to keep tight under extreme pressure to deliver a cohesive vision/final product.

Totally understand the studio's withdrawal.

 

[xrnzaaas]

Yep what you write on the Internet stays on the Internet even if you're quick and thorough. I'm pretty sure I'll have problems because of something I've written in the past at some point in my life. This guy just got burned more than usual.

 

[pswii60]

He only posted that less than 3 months ago! 29th June this year? Surely he must have already applied for the role at that point. If I was hiring (and I am a manager) and saw a forum post that said that about our business I would rescind the offer too, given the post was so very recent.

It's just not worth the risk, and MS knows too well from experience about employing people a little too happy to speak their minds on social media. He's also personally offending everyone who already works there, not something a professional does. Not even something I would say about a studio, and I'm not in the industry.

 

[Gestault]

He could have easily explained himself or clarified that it was a heat of the moment thing. Do you honestly think he wanted everyone fired at 343i? The statement in itself was too ridiculous to take seriously.

This literally sounds like a joke. Please tell me you're making a timely joke.

 

[Cranster]

He could have easily explained himself or clarified that it was a heat of the moment thing. Do you honestly think he wanted everyone fired at 343i? The statement in itself was too ridiculous to take seriously.

 

[Plum]

Is 343 run by Donald Trump? Seems like some petty shit to fire him at the last minute over an old forum post. Literally everyone in the world at this point has at least one regrettable comment sitting on a forum or blog somewhere on the internet that they hope will never be found. Firing somebody over anything less than hate speech is just stupid.

Companies, especially highly team-based ones such as 343, base most of their hiring decisions around who who will be good for the team as a whole. In the same way someone posting they hate all women would make them unfit to work in a team full of women, someone posting that they hate all of a company's workers makes them unfit to work in said company. Just because hate speech is the worst of the worst doesn't make every other thing under it perfectly OK.

 

[Sephzilla]

Is 343 run by Donald Trump? Seems like some petty shit to fire him at the last minute over an old forum post. Literally everyone in the world at this point has at least one regrettable comment sitting on a forum or blog somewhere on the internet that they hope will never be found. Firing somebody over anything less than hate speech is just stupid.

1) It's not really an old post

2) Go publicly shit talk your company, make sure your company finds out, and lets find out what happens to you.

 

[Poodlestrike]

I gotta say, this makes a great companion thread to the "Devs aren't more candid because of the toxic gaming community" one. There's a whole segment of people out there who see the stuff this guy posted and are like "yeah that's fair and reasonable."

 

[VeeP]

lol what a bunch of idiots.

you shouldnt be in this business if you cant take criticism.

I really hate posts like these. They make no sense, and most likely won't reply after you call them out on it.

The dude literally said "No one at 343i deserves there job".

Whats the criticism? There is none, it's not constructive. It was a shit post for all intents and purposes on their official forums, and insulting in general why the fuck would 343 hire him?

 

[Wireframe]

That's how at-will employment works. Same thing happened to Marty O'Donnell.

Thank fuck I live in the UK, that shit doesn't fly here. All terminations need to be justified and if you show a forum post as tame as that you'll be laughed out the courtroom.

 

[Kill3r7]

actually i dont think its really unspoken. a lot of companies have this directly written into an employment agreement

The law is not particularly well defined especially when it comes to the internet or social media but you are right that non-disparagement clauses are part of most modern employment contracts. Plus in this scenario the conduct occurred before he joined said company.

 

[koutoru]

If his posts include insults directed at the people he would be working with and not the product itself, well then....

 

[poodaddy]

Absurd. This man's potential is through the roof. 343i is a special snowflake, who got their feelings hurt.

I agreed with the post until the snowflake bit. That type of rhetoric is generally utilized by alt righters and gamer gaters these days, so it brings to mind some questions about you.

 

[Bony Manifesto]

Honestly, criticise the hell out of a product, but not the devs.

Unless you're INCREDIBLY diplomatic about your criticism, I wouldn't publicly criticise the product a company makes if you're looking to get a job there either!

It's why I always feel like that occasional interview question where you're asked how you would improve one of their products is such a trap!

I agreed with the post until the snowflake bit. That type of rhetoric is generally utilized by alt righters and gamer gaters these days, so it brings to mind some questions about you.

It's been 'reclaimed' by the left. Basically, everyone is calling everyone else snowflakes at this point.

 

[Xaero Gravity]

Hard to feel sympathy with a comment like that.

 

[Stormhammer]

What a bunch of babies. I've certainly said a lot worse about developers 343 included lol.

and are you trying to get a job at those developers?

 

[brad-t]

Think it would be a very different story were the comment in question not a mere three months old.

 

[nekkid]

That post - eesh. No wonder they took exception to it.

Hopefully they read his message of remorse and have a rethink, though, for everyone concerned.

Edit:

Think it would be a very different story were the comment in question not a mere three months old.

Shit, didn’t even see that. Yeah, got less pity now.

 

[nynt9]

Just yesterday we had the thread about how gamers are toxic and overly critical towards devs. 343's decision seems in line with the conclusion from that conversation.

 

[TheBryanJZX90]

Obvious hyperbole does not merit even a mention. 343 better have found other reasons to rescind the offer because that's pretty innocuous.

Obvious hyperbole is one of the main contributing factor to a lack of reasonable discourse on the internet in pop culture communities.

 

[opticalmace]

June of this year he posted it?

Fuck, I thought it was from years ago from the the way the original post framed the situation.

Sorry dude, you fucked it up yourself.

Yeah. I came into the thread thinking he said something like "fuck 343" or "wow 343 really sucks." I can't think of anything worse to post right before applying for a job with them than what he actually did. He should've gone and edited/deleted it...

Anyway, shitty situation all around.

 

[Professor Beef]

Especially if it's a company that you are super passionate about and on forums, where people are frequently over the top hyperbolic.

Again, employers can't tell if you're being serious or not on the internet (unless explicitly labeled) so they have to take everything at face-value. The easier alternative is to not talk shit about a company that you wish to work for, or at the very least try and make reasonable arguments instead.

 

[LordRaptor]

Thank fuck I live in the UK, that shit doesn't fly here. All terminations need to be justified and if you show a forum post as tame as that you'll be laughed out the courtroom.

Most jobs in the UK have initial probationary periods where you can be terminated for literally any reason the employer feels like.

 

[DecoReturns]

Yeah gotta agree with 343 on this one.

Maybe they could've talked to him and figure something out, but I understand taking the job away regardless

 

[LastGamer84]

Considering how badly 343 has handled the series, it's an appropriate statement. They were within their rights to rescind the offer. Hope this person finds a better job.

 

[Kinyou]

Was it just that one comment or is there more? If it was just one time it would be a bit of an overkill.

I'd say there's a bit of a difference there when you look at the severity.

 

[Sephzilla]

lol what a bunch of idiots.

you shouldnt be in this business if you cant take criticism.

what he said wasn't really criticism, though. he was just straight undermining the integrity of his future coworkers

 

[Cranster]

I'd say there's a bit of a difference there when you look at the severity.

It's still a lame excuse eitherway.

 

[LegitMcfalls]

Wow this is very shitty of 343. I hope the person looks into the local labor laws in Washington and see if they violated any laws. If the redditor is also a gaffer I hope you land on your feet and maybe try out Bungie also in Bellevue Washington.

Spoiler

AKA the REAL creators of Halo and not some knock of brand with the halo license like 343

 

[Par Score]

That would get you a job offer rescinded pretty much everywhere as far as legally possible

I mean, yeah, this is the sort of thing that means you never get to work at the place you're attacking, full stop.

I would say that I can't believe people are defending this guy and bagging on 343, buuuut...

”Just your average gaming hyperbole nbd" is exactly why the gaming community is as toxic and shitty as it is lmao

Pretty much this.

Only in the shit dump of a community that gaming has become would you see this reaction.

Thank fuck I live in the UK, that shit doesn't fly here. All terminations need to be justified and if you show a forum post as tame as that you'll be laughed out the courtroom.

Lol, no.

You haven't even set foot in the building yet? I can find public record of you disparaging the company and its employees?

Your ass would be gone so fast you wouldn't be able to blink.

This is the sort of thing you could be fired for even after your probationary period, never mind before you've even started.

 

[SeanTSC]

I'm 100% on board with words having consequences. It's a shame it doesn't happen more often and on a higher level.

 

[Dabanton]

He'd struggle to get hired at any games company if a comment like that came to light.

Also the worst thing he could have done is gone public with this.

 

[Gestault]

Hard to feel sympathy with a comment like that.

I think the letter does a good job about not fishing for it. As much as I look at a few reactions in the discussion here and raise my eyebrow, I think the writer gave as fair an overview as is possible for a situation like this. That really does show a sign of someone who'll hopefully grow from this (and if they were good enough to get hired otherwise, it proves the talent is there).

 

[Human Trashcan]

Seems a bit petty on 343's part.

More than a bit. It's a single forum post that could've been made in a moment of frustration or whatever. It was a shitty thing to say, absolutely, but to go that far?

 

[midasmulligan]

So how do you think those Monday morning water cooler conversations would go, "so you're the new guy, enjoying the coffee? How's the commute?... Do you think I deserve my job? "

 

[Izuna]

Unless you're INCREDIBLY diplomatic about your criticism, I wouldn't publicly criticise the product a company makes if you're looking to get a job there either!

It's why I always feel like that occasional interview question where you're asked how you would improve one of their products is such a trap!

If that's the case, then Respawn won't be able to hire anyone truly passionate about Titanfall 3.



(real answer, not at all)

 

[Garrett Hawke]

I'm 100% on board with words having consequences. It's a shame it doesn't happen more often and on a higher level.

Imagine if Trump had to deal with the consequences of shitposting 🙏

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

If any of you here are gonna work for EA or Activision, don't tell them your GAF username.

 

[hotcyder]

Neogaf - do your thing. Get this man's job back

 

[Fake Charlemagne]

343 can't really be touched legally. It's their right.
It's also petty, especially considering how toothless the comment actually was in the grand scheme of things.

"But all shit talk on the internet should stop. It's a problem."
Sure, but this isn't the hill to die on. No anonymous online poster filled with frustration is going to look at this case and say "No, perhaps today is the day I cease posting incendiary hyperbole and venting my frustrations." Hell, this isn't even remotely representative of the problem people have with online shit talking. It wasn't professional sure, but at that point he didn't have any reason to be. He was a fan and consumer frustrated at the state *he* felt 343 had left things in.

"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes."
I guess, but to me the consequences far outweigh the "crime" in this situation. I find it interesting that so many people coldly judge others based only on action, and then in the reverse demand that they be judged on circumstance. I know that there are few if any of us here who haven't done the same. It's human.

And to the detective who dug it all up. I genuinely don't know your motivations, but justice wasn't served. Some very real consequences are being felt by someone who isn't you, as a direct result of your actions. You had every right to what you did, but I'd argue you have no right to feel proud of them. In a lot of ways I judge what you did as far more damaging than what the poster said. But that's just me.

In all, I just feel bad for the dude whose life got flip turned upside down because he made a hyperbolic forum post in frustration. Doesn't raise him above consequence, but I feel like it was an excessive reaction.

 

[Van Bur3n]

I would agree the comment most certainly isn't professional especially since its about, you know, your potential new employer. Got to watch what you say.

 

[mjc]

Wow this is very shitty of 343. I hope the person looks into the local labor laws in Washington and see if they violated any laws. If the redditor is also a gaffer I hope you land on your feet and maybe try out Bungie also in Bellevue Washington.

Spoiler

AKA the REAL creators of Halo and not some knock of brand with the halo license like 343

 

[pswii60]

Thank fuck I live in the UK, that shit doesn't fly here. All terminations need to be justified and if you show a forum post as tame as that you'll be laughed out the courtroom.

You're wrong, in the UK you have no protection for the first 2 years of employment unless you're terminated due to discrimination. I've fired people for less.

 

[Professor Beef]

Wow this is very shitty of 343. I hope the person looks into the local labor laws in Washington and see if they violated any laws. If the redditor is also a gaffer I hope you land on your feet and maybe try out Bungie also in Bellevue Washington.

Spoiler

AKA the REAL creators of Halo and not some knock of brand with the halo license like 343

They haven't violated any laws.