Don't Text and Drive: Bourdais reportedly fired by Toro Rosso via SMS
The rules of text messaging seem to keep on sliding to the point where what was once unacceptable is now common practice - but there's got to be a line drawn somewhere. Take Sebastien Bourdais, for example, who claims that he was fired via SMS.
The French racer, who dominated the Champ Car series in its final four years, didn't have as much luck in Formula One and was recently canned by Toro Rosso after failing to perform over the last two years. Bourdais sued Toro Rosso for breach of contract and reportedly settled out of court for remaining salary plus $2 million in damages, but he's not done lashing out at the team for how they handled his termination. According to Bourdais, he received the official kiss-off by a simple text message. Call us old-fashioned if you like, but we think that being fired warrants a face-to-face, or at least a phone call.
[Source: F1-Live | Image: Peter Fox/Getty]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
RicoChet 8:17AM (8/17/2009)
"Hi Sebastian ur fired lol kthxbye'
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Mike 10:50AM (8/17/2009)
HA HA HA H AH AH AHAH awesome post...
Yaroukh 8:29AM (8/17/2009)
They probably know what usually happens when you try to fire a french employee.
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Kitko 9:49AM (8/17/2009)
What exactly happens?
Yaroukh 9:57AM (8/17/2009)
http://tinyurl.com/czrn6o
Arkz 8:29AM (8/17/2009)
Oh man, that's cold. I wish that never happens to me. No wonder he sued them.
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Hamud 8:55AM (8/17/2009)
This is a disrespect, this is no way to treat a professional, not in F1 or any other job.
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Mr.Oak 9:39AM (8/17/2009)
You could also add COWARDLY act to the list.
Tagg 12:17PM (8/17/2009)
Even a firing a kid from McDonalds via text would be disgusting.
Alex 8:56AM (8/17/2009)
Is Toro Rosso run by a group of pubescent girls?
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TigerMil 11:18AM (8/17/2009)
If only.
magickseeker 9:03AM (8/17/2009)
I agree that is pretty cold and very unprofessional.
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http://www.ishtarpublishing.com
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notYou 9:13AM (8/17/2009)
"The rules of text messaging seem to keep on sliding to the point where what was once unacceptable is now common practice "
...
"Call us old-fashioned if you like, but we think that being fired warrants a face-to-face, _or_at_least_a_phone_call."
There was a time when a phone call was unacceptable for a firing. Too bad it became commonplace, only to be replaced by email, and now texting. Ahhhh, the erosion of etiquette.
My point being that just as you see a phone call as acceptable now, future gens will see texting, twittering, and gosh-knows-what-else-comes-next in the same light.
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hyundaifans.com 9:38AM (8/17/2009)
Well, he knew it was coming. I am sure there was semi official talk that his ass was toast. The SMS just confirmed what he had heard before.
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Vincenzo 9:42AM (8/17/2009)
Good for you Sebastian . . .
Screw these fuc$n companies that treats employees like dogs ...
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kfj 11:06AM (8/17/2009)
He wasnt doing the job they wanted him to do.
Vincenzo 3:40PM (8/17/2009)
HEY- kfj ...
FINE, THEN TELL HIM FACE TO FACE / OR IN A PHONE CALL !
YOU MISSING THE POINT ...
Zakspeed 9:48AM (8/17/2009)
How rude! Very unprofessional - kinda akin to GM emailing those dealerships that lost their franchises
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Ronman 10:10AM (8/17/2009)
jst lst ur RB wngs. U R FRD, Dietrhfjadsgfkjlsadicht mastestishistietisksk
dnt bthr cmng 2 wrk
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Rick 10:12AM (8/17/2009)
"Call us old-fashioned if you like, but we think that being fired warrants a face-to-face, or at least a phone call."
It was a phone call, it was just a data call, not a voice call...
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