I saw a preemptive counter-mutiny once that ended badly... One person was leader of a newly formed team, and a kind of star programmer (that actually delivered

I saw a preemptive counter-mutiny once that ended badly... One person was leader of a newly formed team, and a kind of star programmer (that actually delivered). That person started to bypass the most direct boss, and talk directly to the CEO, frequently. So we have a CEO that like the "victim", and a person between CEO and "victim" that want to get rid of the "victim" because he is a potential threat. Then "victim" has some health issues, and start to code much slower... the "boss" attempts to fire him, but CEO rescue him. Then "boss" awaits for CEO go some months later to a meeting, asks "victim" to show his finished project (the deadline was still next week, but "boss" claimed he could review now), declares it as failed, and fire him in a very public way, forcing him to exit the building with all of his stuff immediately and leave all his credentials and keys behind. Also "boss" stealthly sets up some e-mail filter, so "victim" cannot mail the CEO. Other employees realized what happened, and most of them quit (Even several ones that had nothing to do with the "victim") "boss" gambled, he was the favourite of CEO, and he knew that a public firing could not be undone by the CEO, because the CEO would not do anything that looked like a public punishment... Indeed, CEO did nothing, except watch his ship almost sink (it did not sunk, they could hire another team after about a year and a half...)