I had a similar reaction. Something doesn’t add up about the anecdote. His customer decided it was in their own best interest to pay his hourly rate to solve

I had a similar reaction. Something doesn’t add up about the anecdote. His customer decided it was in their own best interest to pay his hourly rate to solve the problem. Partner X decided the same. What’s the problem? It’s quite the leap from there to an accusation of unethical behavior. I’d wager he had incomplete information or there’s much more to that story. Edit: For example, Partner X might have said to the CEO, “I understand you’re frustrated with the outcome, but it does meet spec and we advised you Z was missing from the spec you provided. You decided to keep Z out of scope. We’re happy to add Z now, and we’re also happy if the author adds Z. Your choice.”