Old Man Gets Fired from His Job, But Wait for the Month Later Becomes Owner of the Company

An old man was deeply moved when he was unexpectedly fired as part of a company-wide layoff. Little did he know, a month later, things would take a surprising turn, and he would end up owning the company.

Edward was a loyal and hardworking employee. He had been with the company since it started, and although he was past retirement age, he still worked diligently, earning the respect of his colleagues.

But one day, everything changed.

“The purpose of this notification is to inform you regarding your position in the company…We regret to inform you that there’ll be a major reduction in the workforce due to corporate restructuring.”

Edward stared at the email. His fingers stopped moving on the keyboard. Tears filled his eyes as he saw other employees around him also in shock.

He hated the feeling. After all the years he spent working for the company, he was now jobless. How could they do this to him?

He scrolled to the end of the email to find out if this was temporary or permanent. The answer came in the Q&A section:

“Unless otherwise notified, you should consider the layoff permanent.”

Edward sank back in his chair. He felt exhausted. He had never felt like this before. But now, with the layoff, he couldn’t stop looking at the screen showing his termination notice. Then, something caught his eye—the real reason he had been fired.

The company’s founder, Rick, had passed the business to his grandson, Dan. The young man decided to restructure the company, and in his view, Edward was too old to keep working.

Dan believed the company needed younger, more talented workers to meet targets, not older employees who he thought weren’t contributing.

So, he made the decision to let Edward and others go.

Edward’s hands shook as he packed up his desk. He had seen people do this in movies, but he never imagined he would be in their shoes.

After leaving the office, Edward went home. Living alone, he didn’t have anyone to talk to. His son lived abroad, and his wife had passed away years ago.

He was feeling lost. For him, work was everything, and now he had no job. He thought about finding something to do, like gardening or starting a YouTube channel. But none of those ideas felt right. He wished he could go back to his old job, making reports and charts.

A month later, to his surprise, he received a call while having breakfast.

“Am I speaking to Mr. Edward Morales?” a serious voice asked.

“This is Edward. What is this about?”

“Good day, Mr. Morales. I am Andrew Hoffman, Mr. Rick Benson’s lawyer. I’m calling to inform you that following Mr. Benson’s passing, you are the new owner of his IT company. Please come to my office to finalize the details.”

Edward almost dropped the phone. “What? Are you sure you’re calling the right person?”

The lawyer replied, “You and Mr. Benson were childhood best friends. He often spoke highly of you. He admired your decision to step down from top management and become a regular employee, even though you co-founded the company with him.”

Edward was shocked. Rick had passed away, but why did he leave the company to him? Didn’t he make Dan the owner a month ago?

To get answers, Edward went to the lawyer’s office. There, he met Dan, who explained everything.

“Grandpa wanted me to learn about running a business, which is why he handed me the company. But I made mistakes, firing people who were key to the company’s success,” Dan admitted with regret.

“I wasn’t a good boss. I know Grandpa would have wanted you to take over. I won’t stop you, even if I’m fired,” he added.

Edward, now in tears, replied, “He trusted me with this company, so I won’t let him down. But you need to toughen up, young man. I won’t be easy on you. I’m not firing you. You need to learn, and that’s what Rick wanted. I’m here to help you.”

Edward took charge of the company, focusing on what would help it grow, and mentored Dan along the way. Over the years, when Edward felt Dan was ready, he named him CEO.

“When you fired me, it hurt,” Edward told Dan. “But I’m getting too old for the daily work. Now I can enjoy my retirement. But don’t let us down. We have big expectations for you.”

Dan promised he wouldn’t, and under his leadership, the company thrived. Rick would have been proud of both of them.