Brian Maupin, a Best Buy employee since 2007, was suspended recently for creating two iPhone vs HTC Evo videos and posting them on YouTube. Brian was asked to quit. He refused, and has been put on suspension while Best Buy decides his fate. He expects to be fired on Monday.
Brian told TechCrunch, "They felt it disparaged a brand they carried (iPhone/Apple) as well as the store itself and were fearful of stockholders & customers being turned off to Best Buy Mobile." In his defense, Brian issued a statement to Best Buy"s human resources department that said, "I issued a statement to them explaining that the video was intended to be comedic and hence, not taken seriously by them or all these stockholders & customers they are worried about [being] turned off to buying from them due to the video."
The videos, which make no mention of Best Buy, have now had over 3 million views thanks to the recent news. Best Buy had asked Brian to take the videos down but he refused. There were some videos that he had uploaded that referenced Best Buy that they requested he take down and he complied. Brian is optimistic about all that has happened and says, "I see it all as a blessing in disguise. I’ve wanted to start my career in graphic design/animation for so long, I see this as my kick in the pants to go get it."
Update: Best Buy has issued a statement and decided not to fire Brian. "We have completed our investigation into the videos created and posted by Brian Maupin, the aspiring film-maker and Best Buy employee. This is an important situation for us because it involved balancing our social media guidelines with a commitment to creating a supportive environment for our employees. It"s important to note that our investigation involved three videos that were posted in late June because they were openly disparaging of our employees, our customers and our vendor partners. Our investigation is over, and these videos are no longer on the web. Contrary to rumors, Brian has not been fired, and is scheduled to return to his job at Best Buy this Friday."
Warning: NSFW - video contains swearing