I suspect this is a story of two low performers colliding and causing problems for each other. "John", the director of engineering, was fired, probably for some

I suspect this is a story of two low performers colliding and causing problems for each other. "John", the director of engineering, was fired, probably for some of the reasons the author points out. But there are also many signs here that the author wasn't performing up to standards, was difficult to manage, and had very high expectations and wanted special treatment.