December 20, 2025 at 6:55 pm

New Boss Oversold Employee On The Top Secret Code He Created For His Company, Then Seriously Underwhelmed When He Revealed The Source

by Liz Wiest

frustrated man looking at a computer

Pexels/Reddit

Learning how to appease your boss is key, but some of them make it easier than others.

What would you do if you realized your boss was totally delusional?

One guy recently shared this exact experience on Reddit. Here’s what went down.

Founder “invented” a new language in PHP

I once worked for a startup where the owner kept hyping up his “revolutionary file-security tech”.

He swore he had a top-secret algorithm that would somehow change the entire industry.

Those are called “delusions of grandeur”.

One day I finally asked him how it worked.

Me: “What language did you write the algorithm in”?

He probably wasn’t prepared for that.

Owner: “A language I invented called XCII”.

Me: “Okay… so what did you write XCII in”?

Sounds like he’s getting closer to the answer.

He freezes, glances around like the walls are listening.

Owner: “…PHP”.

What a letdown.

Me: long, disappointed stare

Me: “K”.

Please vet your startups.

Getting a glimpse into your boss’s psyche is rarely fun. Let’s see how Reddit chimed in.

Some folks were entirely lost.
Screenshot 2025 12 04 at 4.17.50 PM New Boss Oversold Employee On The Top Secret Code He Created For His Company, Then Seriously Underwhelmed When He Revealed The Source

Others jumped straight to jokes.
Screenshot 2025 12 04 at 4.18.01 PM New Boss Oversold Employee On The Top Secret Code He Created For His Company, Then Seriously Underwhelmed When He Revealed The Source

And speculated as to other antics this guy must get into.
Screenshot 2025 12 04 at 4.18.13 PM New Boss Oversold Employee On The Top Secret Code He Created For His Company, Then Seriously Underwhelmed When He Revealed The Source

But some PHP lovers were offended.
Screenshot 2025 12 04 at 4.18.36 PM New Boss Oversold Employee On The Top Secret Code He Created For His Company, Then Seriously Underwhelmed When He Revealed The Source

Sometimes you have no choice but to enable people like this.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.