Yeah, I know. Even though there were 3 people in the company, including me, and I managed myself... It was a brute force lesson in office politics, it seems.

Yeah, I know. Even though there were 3 people in the company, including me, and I managed myself... It was a brute force lesson in office politics, it seems. At least I've graduated from the Clueless level now. This code of omerta in the business world allows the unscrupulous to thrive. The person who introduced me to the CEO finally told me some stories about when they had been a co-worker with them, that if I'd been told from the outset, I'd never have gone to work for the CEO or at least would have had a lawyer on speed dial. But my friend had the same "don't speak bad about people" theory.. Interviews require following a different script. But the Internet has different rules... See my forthcoming blog. Gossip does play an important role in communities; it is a back channel for info that social niceties or conventions prevent from being disseminated. But it is an unreliable channel too, hence the connotations about "gossip". Bottom line, I did not do the due diligence I should have, and ignored the warning signs I was picking up about how unethical the people I was working for were. So I see my responsibility clearly. I only offer up my story for others to use as observational learning.