In a startling revelation, Ali Schwanke, founder, Simple Strat, a US-based marketing and sales company, has exposed a threatening message she received from a rival CEO. The CEO of Optima Solutions cautioned Schwanke against poaching their employees.
The message, conveyed through LinkedIn, took a sharp tone, warning Schwanke with, “Your first and only warning: do not try to poach my employees or you will have no employees yourself.” Shocked by the audacity of the threat, Schwanke shared the screenshot of the message, expressing her disbelief at encountering such behaviour on a professional platform such as LinkedIn.
Schwanke, further explaining the situation, revealed that she had no prior interaction with the company and found the message both bizarre and unsettling.
Schwanke’s post quickly garnered attention, receiving nearly two million views on X. Commenters expressed their shock and disbelief at the aggressive stance taken by the CEO of Optima Solutions.
Despite the norm of blurring out names in such instances, Schwanke chose not to, deeming it unnecessary for what was clearly an unwarranted threat. This shows how professional rivalry can unexpectedly turn quite nasty, even in the digital realm.
Poaching, a prevalent practice in numerous industries, involves actively recruiting or hiring employees from rival companies. While it’s often viewed as a strategic move to acquire top talent and bolster one’s own workforce, poaching raises ethical dilemmas and can strain professional relationships. Employers invest time and resources into training and developing their employees, making their departure a loss for the company left behind.