Fired for Twitter & YouTube
Tim Chantarangsu, aka TimothyDeLaGhetto2 was fired from California Pizza Kitchen for negative “tweets” about the company. His title is “Twitter Got Me Fired,” but I think publicly bashing his employer might be another way to explain it. He had previously tweeted the nickname “CaliporniaSkeetzaKitchen,” and called the new black-shirt uniforms “the lamest shit ever.” He said he’s not encouraging a boycott, but he’s invited his YouTube viewers to tweet:
@calpizzakitchen black button ups are the lamest shit ever!!! #CaliporniaSkeetzaKitchen
And it’s working (see images below from Twitter and Trendistic). California Pizza Kitchen’s Twitter account is not acknowledging the campaign. Says an article in Peopull, “TimothyDeLaGhetto makes videos that on average get hundreds of thousands of views each, and to date, he has had more than 32 million video views in total. CPK could have found alternative ways to make things right. Had they truly realized Tim’s reach, they could have encouraged future positive messages regarding their brand which would have resulted in a mutually prosperous relationship.”
He’s not the first prominent YouTuber to be fired for his online behavior. ShaneDawsonTV, one the most-subscribed YouTube creators, was fired from Jenny Craig for a video involving a dance pole last year (his sibling and mother, he says, were also terminated).
And, of course, even YouTube posters with less of a following can get fired (ala the Dominos folks who posted videos of themselves putting boogers on the hoagies). And Tim wasn’t the first for getting fired for his Tweets (a Cisco guy trashed the company before he even started, and that ended that).
While I’m all for freedom of speech, bashing your employer (and naming them) online is kinda begging for it, isn’t it?
Great article, I love Tim’s comeback, its serious yet lighthearted at the same time. I think CPK definitely overreacted.
Thanks very much for the link by the way, much appreciated 🙂
Regards,
Sina
While I think this was a serious overreaction by CPK, I can see why it happened. I also agree the company blew a serious opportunity to use his resources as potential viral online promotion for their product. But, he gained a subscriber in me….
ChrisDanger(Taking Down Corporate America Since 1976), OFF!
Kevin asks innocently, “isn’t it?”
I agree CPK missed a great opportunity, and what adds to the irony is, in their doorway they carry the Onion, one of the most popular satirical papers in the nation which THEY, on occasion, advertise in. Just goes to show ya on the top rung of the anal ladder of big biz still lives the IBM white shirts. (that last part was for nutcheese) which is why I, until independently wealthy, remain nearly untraceable!
but I have one more story…
I was asked to help out and look over some resumes a few years ago and we received one where the guy was really proud and excited about the the work he did developing a few web sites – this was an academic office environment he was applying for mind you – so I typed in the URLs, more out of curiosity than a requirement for the position, and low and behold they were full of anime porn, guess who didn’t get the job?
Ah, yes. Blaming the messenger for the message you sent to the public.
what?
I’m thinking he didn’t have to sign the legal document as he was getting fired about not posting videos about the company… like I did. They told me if I posted anything they would take my ass to court.
California Pizza Kitchen makes a great pizza with slices of pear on the crust topped with salad greens, gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, and ranch dressing.
I’m hungry.
CPK always gives me diarrhea. Don’t you frickin’ hate that? You go out for a nice meal, and because somebody back in the kitchen left something out for too, now your night is ruined. And it happens all the time. MIRITE, GUYZ!?
I don’t even talk about work in my videos for this very fear. I also keep it mostly clean. Everyone at work knows about my videos. I want to keep the two as seperate as possible. Unlike some, I want to keep my job, and videos is hobby/2nd income. Even if I made as much on videos as I do at work, I would still keep my day job.
Srsly…
Don’t talk about work on Twitter, facebook, YT–nowhere. Just post stuff about your fabulous life to irritate people. It might piss people off, but nobody can fire you for livin’ large. They can just suck it.
@3 At least that’s what you told HR when they found porn URLs on your computer. @7 MMmmmmm. Walnuts. @9 We all know you work at NASA, Zack. Design rocket ships or manage Lotus… can’t remember which. @10 Yeah- social media is one big taunting Christmas card annual recap designed to make people feel inferior. @nobody All your itchy balls are belong to us.
@11 that was anime porn pal
@9 What is it you do? I thought you tube and playing video games was your full time.
@12 I don’t work for NASA, but I am an engineer.
Businesses are becoming more “social media savvy”. Not that they understand what that means, or how it could potentially benefit them. Almost 50% of companies check your social media sites out when you send them a resume now.