It wasn’t the first time that Ibrahim’s key card failed. He assumed it was time to replace it. Afterward, there began a series of events that saw Diallo Ibrahim fired from his job. Ibrahim was not sacked by his boss but by a mere machine. Ibrahim detailed this story in a post. He intended to share the story to serve as a warning to companies that rely too much on automation. Automation is a good thing and at the same time can be wrong. It’s regarded as a firm’s asset. However, there should be a way devised such that humans can take over if the machine makes a mistake. The story of Mr. Ibrahim being sacked by a machine started on his first entry into a Los Angles skyscraper. His office was based in the building. Surprisingly, his entry pass failed to work. This forced the security guards to allow him in since they knew him.
When he got to his floor, he immediately went to see his manager to notify her about the issue. The manager promised him to get him a new pass to use at the entry. Later, he realized that he was blocked from his work’s system. A colleague also alerted him that a word written ‘inactive’ was displayed on his computer alongside his name.
His day unfolded in a very embarrassing manner. Immediately after lunch, ten minutes after, Ibrahim stood to wait for his co-worker to allow him to access his office. Surprisingly, his recruiter told him that she had received an email that addressed the termination of his contract. Ibrahim was overwhelmingly confused. The recruiter promised to sort out the issue. The next day, Ibrahim was locked out from every single system except his Linux machine. After lunch time, two gentlemen appeared at his desk. They told him that they received an email that instructed them to escort him from the building.
Ibrahim’s boss was in total confusion. He was helpless. Mr. Ibrahim told his boss that he was fired. The manager just sat staring at him. There was nothing he could do about it. All the staff stood staring and powerless as they watched him pack his belongings and then left the building. During this period, Ibrahim was remaining eight weeks to sign a new contract. Ibrahim recalled how influential people in the building watched him get sacked by a mere machine and there was nothing they could do about it.
