the worst boss of 2023 is…

by Alison Green on December 18, 2023

The final votes are in, and the CEO who tried to fire an employee after a DNA test revealed they were half-brothers won the Worst Boss of 2023 Award, with 60% of the vote in the final match-up.

Coming in second, the company that wouldn’t do anything about an employee who was angry about an employee’s weight loss, captured 40% of the vote.

The runners-up, who all managed to be pretty terrible themselves:

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    1. Juicebox Hero*

      Oh, and as badly as last year’s runner-up and the one I personally voted for: the scummy CEO who was emotionally abusing and stalking his former assistant.

      2. Slow Gin Lizz*

        Ohhhh, yeah, that CEO was scary as [curse words]. I just read the updates on that one and I wonder how that OP is doing and also if that dude ever got held accountable for anything he was doing.

      4. Jamboree*

        I seem to have missed this one. Off to read now. I’m still kinda disappointed one year the competition was canceled bc it meant a self-nomination

  4. Caledonian Crow*

    My dream is that CEBro sees himself here and does some serious self-reflection on his choices and his actions. That won’t happen, I’m sure, but it’s nice to imagine.

      1. Daisy-dog*

        The letter writer did write such an interesting read (nothing beats the Jerry Springer joke in the update) that I can imagine it being shared by way more than the typical readers of the site. It could reach him – who knows how he’d react though.

        1. I'm just here for the cats!*

          I’m hoping someone on the inside who knows the situation (like a friend or family member) brings it to him and is like “is this you? Please tell me you did not do all this crap?

          1. BellStell*

            That would be amazing to try to shame him. Self reflection for people like this is not a common trait sadly.

            1. Elizabeth West*

              This reminds me of the time on the old Consumerist website when Comcast won the Golden Poo Award for Worst Company in America a couple of times. Did they improve? No they did not.

    2. Anon for this*

      Yeah, that is my hope. Let CEBro hear that he’s won an award for being a terrible boss, because the story is so hilarious it’s almost guaranteed to be shared.

  5. MuseumChick*

    What a line up this year. I would love to see a march madness style contest between all of the worst boss winners since this blog began.

  7. Madtown Maven*

    My brain read the sentence as “The CEO who tried to set fire to an employee . . .”
    I know the story well enough. I guess I need more coffee.

    1. Slow Gin Lizz*

      I’d hope if that were the case he would win hands down, but this is AAM so I still wouldn’t expect as much.

  9. Teapot, Groomer of Llamas*

    I was so hoping it would be a photo finish between CEBro and Youngkin, but at least I nailed the winner.

    1. Anon for this*

      Kind of sad that Youngkin isn’t the sort who’d get offended at being a finalist but not winning for anything, even a contest for worst boss of 2023. I was kind of hoping Elon would place second last year, because he seems like the sort of person who’d get wildly offended to “only” come in second.

      1. Ex-prof*

        According to this morning’s news, he’s the focus of an EU hate speech & fake news investigation, so hopefully that will satisfy his need for attention for a while.

  11. NYCRedhead*

    These were all so terrible but we have also seen terrible co workers stories. I think we need a second tournament for Worst Co Worker of the Year.

    2. Trixie the Great and Pedantic*

      This year’s batch of nominees also highlighted the need for a separate bracket for Inhumane Resources.

    3. Ex-prof*

      I still think we need a Dickensian Coincidences section as well.
      CEBro could’ve swept both categories!

  12. BellyButton*

    The thing that is so amazing and weird is that if CEO didn’t say or do anything no one would ever have known.

    2. Bookmark*

      Yes! this is what I keep thinking, too. If CEBro had just been a decent human being, absolutely no one other than his family and OP’s family would have known anything about what happened. But because he was such a jerk about trying to keep things private, now a bunch of strangers on the internet (not to mention his former coworkers and anyone they gossip with, because OF COURSE they will…) know all about it.

      1. Observer*

        Worse – he lost his job over it. And it’s going to be hard to find another one. He managed to do *far* more damage to himself than anything the OP could have done, even if they wanted to.

  13. Not Australian*

    IMHO it was the combination of being a terrible boss *and* a terrible human being that sealed the deal on this one.

  15. Charlotte*

    Interesting that Governor Youngkin of Virginia made the list both last year and this year for two entirely different terrible management decisions.

  16. I'm just here for the cats!*

    I hope OP is doing well after everything that has happened. I do wish they would give us an update!

  17. HonorBox*

    Congratulations to CEBro and the HR misfits for the major award! I hope they enjoy their parting gifts!

  18. Emily*

    I’ve been seeing ads for Ancestry.com DNA kits, and all I can think about is this poor letter writer.
    Good riddance to CEBro.

    1. Juicebox Hero*

      Yep. I never had any interest in those kits to begin with, and now if anyone asks me I’m going to point them towards this saga.

  20. Flossie Bobbsey*

    Interesting that the situation is described as “half-brothers” here – I always thought the CEBro LW was a woman (probably because that’s the default on AAM and there was nothing to the contrary in the letters).

    1. Juicebox Hero*

      Alison might know, based on their email address and/or extra correspondence that wasn’t published.

      For some reason I assumed the LW was a man from the get-go, although I have no idea why.

    2. FanciestCat*

      Me too, I think it’s because I assumed someone like CEOBro would feel more threatened by a suprise brother than a sister.

    3. Blarg*

      I also assumed a woman; don’t know why. I kind of appreciate when I’m wrong about these things, because it is a reminder that I have pre-conceived notions that may well be wrong!

  21. Lenora Rose*

    I actually think the letter we just got an update on (the manager who thinks moms can’t work) should have been on the list, though definitely a runner up – which led me to consider what it would replace. Maybe the boyfriend’s manager who told her she could do better. Both are mostly strictly verbal discussion, which is what I suspect knocked it off the list compared to the wildly inappropriate *actions* of several above.

    I’m now curious what else didn’t quite make the finalist listings.

  22. raincoaster*

    It was a really good year for really bad bosses. If looked at year-over-year these lists demonstrate we’re on our way back to living in caves.

  23. MsMaryMary*

    Next year, maybe there could be a separate bracket for famous/public figure bosses like Youngkin or Musk who make it to AAM.

  26. so very tired*

    I re-read the “coworker is mad about my weight loss” one again and got another round of incandescent rage. Jesus Joseph and Mary what a bunch of shitbrains.

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