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What would you do? Boss thought I copied code from Web

23 points by tryanother ↗ HN
My boss recently instructed a coworker to rewrite my feature behind my back, and I found out by chance. More than a week and dozens of panic attacks later, he told me that he thought some of it was stolen because he didn't think I was capable of writing sophisticated JavaScript. I am a green dev, but I spend tons of time outside of work becoming a better developer, and primarily I have focused on JS because that is the bulk of what I do at work. I was completely baffled by this accusation and just explained to him that I spend lots of time researching and want to write the absolute best code possible. He seemed to understand, but this situation makes me extremely uncomfortable. It is insulting on multiple levels to think that I am so incompetent that I would steal. Has anyone else encountered this?

49 comments

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crazypyro
Is your boss a dev? Did he think you straight copy/pasted from the internet? Did he even ask about the licensing?

Your boss sounds incompetent, but these answers would probably help us understand.

tryanother
Yes, he is a dev. He thought I copied/pasted. He did not ask about licensing.

He also told me that "inner JavaScript classes" are inappropriate for enterprise code. I asked him to explain what he was talking about - he meant my object constructors. He said I could not create new java (yes, java) classes in my JavaScript code. ????

MalcolmDiggs
It sounds like he barely has any idea what he's talking about...or you two are talking about totally different things. Has this happened before with him? Has he done this to anybody else?
tryanother
I only know his history in broad strokes. He has a "reputation," I just don't know the specifics. He hated the guy that I replaced - 3 months later and he is still publicly bad mouthing the guy. Very unprofessional, makes for a hostile work environment.
MalcolmDiggs
Is taking him out for a beer an option? I'd recommend nipping this kind of thing in the bud as quickly as possible; or it'll just spiral out of control.

If you can: be diplomatic, take him out for drinks after work one day and have a heart-to-heart. He wields a significant amount of power, and it'd be in your best interest for him to like you alot.

tryanother
i'm not sure if that would work with him, but i will give it some consideration.
b_emery
A general policy of mine is to avoid people who are frequently bad-mouthing other people. I think this is your key indicator of his character, and yes it does make for a hostile, and corrosive, work environment.
tryanother
i am quickly adopting it as my general policy, too. i'm tired of the insecurity, neediness, and negativity that accompanies that mentality (along with the things you mentioned).
collyw
I regularly bad mouth people, but in an equal opportunity humorous way. Myself included.
DanBC
Do what you like. Are you aware of the impression you give ofyourself when you badmouth others?
danielweber
"How he talks about his ex-girlfriend is how he will talk about you."

Word substitute accordingly. There's a reason it's a bad idea for candidates to bad-mouth their current employer, and it's the reverse of this situation.

tryanother
So true. Best to stay clear of those kinds of people.
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smileysteve
> "inner JavaScript classes" are inappropriate for enterprise code. I asked him to explain what he was talking about - he meant my object constructors

I'd guess that he and the product do not tend to use javascript objects when writing code - which means that the code was above his (and the product's average) coding head. This also means that it wasn't the best way for you to code the project.

For a code review to pass, the reviewer should think about the minimum person working on the project and whether they would understand or make guesses when fixing it - or at least know where / when to get help.

tryanother
Thank you for that feedback. These are the kinds of thing I can't learn on my own. There is absolutely no formal code review, much to my surprise; in fact, the closest thing to "process" here is to push to UAT as fast as humanly possible. I would love to work in an environment where I felt as though I were actually learning from my coworkers and from the process.
tptacek
That does not sound like a recoverable problem.
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tryanother
That's what I am afraid of. I am very uncomfortable with the culture of conniving and suspicion that seems to be rampant here.
tptacek
If I was accused of plagiarism, I'd start making plans to leave. I don't say that lightly; this might, I think, be the first time in my overlong time on HN to give that piece of advice.
tryanother
this is my first job in the industry, and i've only been there for less than 3 months. i'm afraid i won't be able to find another job with my experience.
glimcat
You are probably drastically underestimating the marketability of "can write production-ready JavaScript given sufficient time browsing docs & without copying it directly from StackOverflow."

And I only say "probably" because it sounds like you're looking for a local W-2 gig, and there are some places (e.g. rural Idaho) where there's likely to be a shortage of potential employers.

Elsewhere, consider "any company with senior programmers to report to" as a location which is probably hiring, or at least entertaining applicants - regardless of what any public listings may say about what openings exist, or how much experience or what madcap assortment of skills any job postings say that they'd like (yes, like).

tryanother
Thank you for the perspective. I take the requirements on job listings very literally and definitely underestimate what I have to offer. I will broaden my search. I am not in a tech hot spot, but also not in the middle of nowhere.
tptacek
You don't have to quit right this moment, but you can use the knowledge that you are quitting to change how you deal with your current job; you can keep your head down and chug away for a little while, calmly oblivious to politics and promotion and overtime and all that stuff, because you know you're not staying.
tryanother
I think this is exactly what I will do. I've already completely excused myself from the politics and any interpersonal issues that come up. They are not relevant (and I work with one particularly abhorrent racist/bigot) so I just don't even engage.
orand
I would leave that job as quickly as possible. Life is too short to work for a boss who is crazy.

You have the drive to learn and grow. Go to meetups, user groups, etc. and get to know others who are like-minded. You'll build the connections you need to find a better job, even if you are a junior dev. They'll see your passion and potential and hire you for that.

tryanother
Thank you so much for this. I will start going to meet ups ASAP. I have worked so hard to get into this industry (I am almost completely self taught, no tech degree) and all I want is to work with passionate people who are inspired by my passion. I want to make awesome things and be better than I was yesterday. This current job is so disheartening.
aefeuer
Also, if you see startups you like, apply for jobs there. I know that sounds really basic but I'm surprised how often folks don't apply for jobs they could get (or fear they need a warm intro, etc.). Companies, esp. startups, are so hungry for engineering talent that, IMHO, it's very much a meritocracy, and you don't necessarily need relationships, etc.
tryanother
This is good to know. I think a startup would be a great fit for me in many ways.
[dead] templeos2
The fact we are having this conversation means you are in denial on God. Take some time and talk to God. Then you will not be so stupid.
notjustanymike
Welp, we're always looking for front-end devs. http://www.tapad.com/about-us/careers/openings/
tryanother
thank you for the link! if i had the experience you guys were looking for, i would absolutely go for it.
notjustanymike
Meh it's flexible. I wrote the front-end job posting and handle reviewing the resumes. If you want to post what your current resume I wouldn't hold any formatting errors and whatnot against you. It's not like you have anything to lose.
elmojenkins
I'd update your resume and look around. Things could get better at your current job, however, if you are able to find something new, you should consider it..especially given your current issue.

You are right to feel annoyed by this. I would. I think anyone who put the time & effort into something would too. Hopefully your boss will figure it out one day.

tryanother
thanks, i will definitely update my resume. i moved 800 miles for this job, so there's an extra layer of frustration there, too. i don't want it to have been for nothing.
thejteam
The one time I encountered this was in 9th grade. The health class teacher wasn't used to people writing good essays. I got an A on the first essay of the year, and she wrote on the paper "Good job, if you actually wrote it."

Her and I did not get along very well that year.

rajacombinator
If you're not copying from the web (with appropriate attention to licensing) you are seriously doing it wrong. Especially on an internal facing enterprise product. Sounds like your boss is a moron.
tryanother
ha - that's a good point. i hadn't thought of that.
BorisMelnik
yea man that is no good. most bosses would kill to know that their staff goes home and learns on their own. run, fast, and far.
tryanother
Thank you, I will take this advice to heart.
pawn
Show of hands. Who DOESN'T copy snippets of code from the net occasionally? Anybody? Cobol programmer in the back, your hand has been noted, you can put it down now...
SamReidHughes
Um... most people? Unless you're counting explicitly open source software with a compatible license.
chrisBob
Do answers on StackOverflow count?
pawn
I would count that, yes. Any time you think "I need to do X" but don't know the syntax, do you hopelessly read through help docs or do you Google it and keep going?
elyrly
Every programmer on some level "copies" snippets of code be it from Stackover flow, Google community, and reddit.
thinkerer
Ermmm well we all learn by observing other codes out there many times and rest of it troubleshooting isnt it?

If it works, it works. Why bother re-writing it anyway? Unless its refactoring.

If its me, Ill confront him and ask him about his insecurities and if theres any issues.

But thats just me.

cafard
Who is having the panic attacks, and who thinks the code is stolen? I'm guessing a) you, and b) the boss, but the antecedents aren't clear.

Using code from the web without understanding it is not a good thing. But I would think worse of somebody who (for example) spent a week reimplementing in Perl what he could have installed from CPAN. (Do I understand everything I pull down from CPAN? Umm, well, I understand how to use it.)

tryanother
yes, you're right about a) and b).

the bottom line was that he didn't understand my code, and he thought i wasn't smart enough to write it.

Fiona_Y
用你的优秀让他哑口无言～