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Sometimes the universe just has a sense of humor.

A woman who once endured brutal 14-hour work days, stolen credit, and midnight pings from a tyrannical boss finally escaped that toxic environment and worked her way up to a senior management role somewhere far healthier.

Years later, that same boss walked into her morning standup as her new direct report, visibly shocked to see who’d been promoted above him.

The man who once threatened her pay over a lunch break now had to ask her for basic approvals. Karma apparently keeps excellent records.

The following story is a prime example of a power dynamic completely flipping overnight. Read on.

The toxic startup manager who made my life a nightmare 5 years ago just became my direct report

Karma really is a boomerang. The absolute tyrant who made my life a nightmare at a toxic startup 5 years ago just got placed on my team as my direct report.

She recounts what it was like having him as a boss.

Back then, Greg ruled through fear, manufactured urgency, and mandatory 14-hour days. He took credit for my code, pinged me at midnight, and gaslit anyone who pushed back.

Luckily, she was able to build a much more sustainable career for herself.

I left completely burned out, eventually clawing my way up to a Senior Engineering Manager role at a solid MNC where work-life balance is actually respected.

So when she was informed she was getting a new hire on her team, she couldn’t believe who it was.

Fast forward to last Wednesday. Upper management shuffled a new senior hire onto my engineering squad to help with headcount.

When he logged into our morning standup and saw my face on the screen, the color completely drained out of him. Pure, unadulterated deer-in-the-headlights terror.

It was hard not to revel in the sheer coincidence.

The man who used to hover over my desk and threaten to dock my pay for taking a lunch break now has to message me on Teams for PTO approval.

Now she can’t decide how she wants to proceed.

Part of me wants to take the high road and treat him with boring, flawless professional grace. But another part of me is staring at our massive, tedious documentation backlog and smiling a little too wide.

What would you do in my position?

This is why they say to never burn bridges in the professional world.

What did Reddit have to say about this epic twist of fate?

This commenter suggests a balance between the two approaches.

This user makes a great point.

Why not really rub it in this guy’s face?

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a employee who airs every last grievance in his resignation letter.

She’s likely going to really need to keep her eye on this guy.

She spent years building the kind of career that doesn’t require anyone’s permission to feel proud of, and none of that depended on Greg ever getting what was coming to him.

Watching him squirm is a nice bonus, but the real story is that she got out, recovered, and ended up running the room.

She doesn’t need to prove anything to him anymore, her title already does that.

Building a career for yourself is much better than any petty payback could ever offer.