This Company’s Headed Down The Toilet

I used to work in a place with two owners who took over after a bankruptcy. One of them actively managed the company, while the other had merely invested money in it. The former was known to be messy, short-tempered, chaotic, and whimsical — all quite extreme — but occasionally had moments of kindness, as well. The latter, however, was especially known for being entitled and condescending, while clearly lacking any form of kindness. The one and only year he actively managed the company was described by an older coworker to me as “the year from h***.” Some people thought he was nobility, looking over the fact that his estate was explicitly bought, not inherited.

He rarely showed his face at the company, thank goodness, and when he did it was usually to bicker about his money; as I said, the other co-owner was completely chaotic. Anecdotes about the mean co-owner were rare but mostly were about him demanding stuff, being a condescending bully, and even about him and the other co-owner almost getting into a fistfight.

The best story, however, is about a time he came to visit the company with his mother. At some point during that visit, he demanded that a closed-off toilet be opened for his mother.

Coworker: “That’s not possible; the toilet in question is broken.”

Co-Owner: “No. I say it’s working, so it IS working!”

Some people’s egos are so big that there isn’t enough room left for common sense.