Chapter 3 · The Algorithm Strikes Back

"Hasn't it already become his?" Lenka asked.

I shook my head. "It's different. With code, there's always a footprint. As long as I'm here, I can prove it's mine."

Lenka sighed. "But... Even when you were there, nobody ever gave you credit for it."

I went quiet.

She was right. I spent ten years there, and no one ever acknowledged that it was mine. So why did I still hold on to it?

That night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep. My mind drifted back to ten years ago.

Back then, I had just graduated, brimming with confidence and hope.

I interviewed at more than a dozen companies, but in the end, I picked CloudTrace Tech. It felt free, driven, and full of promise.

The boss, Raymond Barker, interviewed me himself. He said, "Jace, I saw your work. It's very creative. We're working on a big project and need a core algorithm. Are you interested?"

I said, "Yes."

"Then come on board," he said, giving my shoulder a friendly pat. "Work hard. The future belongs to you young folks."

I believed him. And then, I spent three years building that algorithm from the ground up. Three years. Over a thousand days and nights.

Countless times, I tore it all down and rebuilt from scratch. Countless nights spent debugging till dawn.

And finally, I pulled it off.

The day the algorithm launched, I was so pumped I couldn't sleep a wink.

I thought I was finally about to hit the big time.

So what happened next?

The year after the algorithm launched, Lewis came on board. He brought his son, Edward, into the company. And from that moment, everything changed.

All my achievements ended up being credited to Edward. My code ended up under Edward's name. My name disappeared from the project team list.

I went to talk to Raymond.

Raymond said, "Jace, we see everything you've done. But Lewis is a big deal here, and we have to take care of his son."

I said, "But I wrote that algorithm."

He replied, "I know. But technology is a team achievement, not just one person's. You need to have a bigger picture."

Bigger picture. That phrase word again. Every time someone wanted me to swallow my pride, they'd use that phrase.

After that, I stopped saying anything.

I just kept coding in silence, quietly tweaking and improving things, and watched my achievements get slapped with someone else's name.

Ten years. Ten full years. My desk went from a spot by the window to being stuck right next to the bathroom door.

My pay went from three thousand to six thousand dollars. My year-end bonus went from 1,500 dollars to 4,000 dollars.

And then there was Edward.

His salary was triple mine. His year-end bonus was ten times what I got. His stock options were a hundred times what I got.

His house was the courtesy of the company. The company also provided him with his car. His name was front and center in the company's core systems.

And me? My name was buried in the code comments. Those comments? They could be wiped out anytime.

*****

The next day, I went to the office as usual.

As soon as I sat down, my phone rang. It was an unknown number.

"Is this Mr. Jace Chandler?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Yes, that's me," I replied.

The caller introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Blake Newman from a headhunting firm."

I said, "Oh, sorry, I'm not considering a job change at the moment."

"Wait a moment, Mr. Chandler." Blake sounded genuinely sincere. "I know you've been at CloudTrace Tech for ten years, and I also know you're the real developer behind that core algorithm."

I paused, surprised. "How do you know that?"

Blake said, "The tech circle's pretty tight. Insiders know everything. I can spot your coding style from a mile away."

I stayed silent.

He continued, "Mr. Chandler, there's a company looking to headhunt you. They're offering a 700 thousand dollars annual salary, plus stock options."

I asked, "Which company?"

"Stellar Technology," Blake replied.

'Stellar Technology? That was CloudTrace Tech's biggest rival.

"Why are they trying to headhunt me?" I asked.

Blake said, "Because you're the top expert in this field nationwide. Mr. Chandler, you might not realize it, but you're kind of a big deal in the industry. It's just that at CloudTrace Tech, you've been buried."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Mr. Chandler, how about it? Will you give it some thought?" Blake asked.

I replied, "I... I'll think about it."

Blake said, "Great, I'll send you my contact info. You can reach out anytime."

After I hung up, I just sat there at my desk, staring blankly at my screen.

700 thousand dollars a year. That was about ten times what I was making now. Would things finally be different for me if I joined Stellar Technology?

"Jace."

A voice snapped me out of my thoughts. It was Lewis.

"Mr. Horton," I greeted him.

"Come to my office at three this afternoon. I need to talk to you about something," he said.

"Okay," I replied.

At three sharp, I showed up at Lewis's office.

Besides Lewis Horton, there was someone else in the room. It was Sandra Glover, the HR director.

"Jace, have a seat," Lewis said, gesturing toward the couch.

I sat down.

Chapter 3

"Hasn't it already become his?" Lenka asked.

I shook my head. "It's different. With code, there's always a footprint. As long as I'm here, I can prove it's mine."

Lenka sighed. "But... Even when you were there, nobody ever gave you credit for it."

I went quiet.

She was right. I spent ten years there, and no one ever acknowledged that it was mine. So why did I still hold on to it?

That night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep. My mind drifted back to ten years ago.

Back then, I had just graduated, brimming with confidence and hope.

I interviewed at more than a dozen companies, but in the end, I picked CloudTrace Tech. It felt free, driven, and full of promise.

The boss, Raymond Barker, interviewed me himself. He said, "Jace, I saw your work. It's very creative. We're working on a big project and need a core algorithm. Are you interested?"

I said, "Yes."

"Then come on board," he said, giving my shoulder a friendly pat. "Work hard. The future belongs to you young folks."

I believed him. And then, I spent three years building that algorithm from the ground up. Three years. Over a thousand days and nights.

Countless times, I tore it all down and rebuilt from scratch. Countless nights spent debugging till dawn.

And finally, I pulled it off.

The day the algorithm launched, I was so pumped I couldn't sleep a wink.

I thought I was finally about to hit the big time.

So what happened next?

The year after the algorithm launched, Lewis came on board. He brought his son, Edward, into the company. And from that moment, everything changed.

All my achievements ended up being credited to Edward. My code ended up under Edward's name. My name disappeared from the project team list.

I went to talk to Raymond.

Raymond said, "Jace, we see everything you've done. But Lewis is a big deal here, and we have to take care of his son."

I said, "But I wrote that algorithm."

He replied, "I know. But technology is a team achievement, not just one person's. You need to have a bigger picture."

Bigger picture. That phrase word again. Every time someone wanted me to swallow my pride, they'd use that phrase.

After that, I stopped saying anything.

I just kept coding in silence, quietly tweaking and improving things, and watched my achievements get slapped with someone else's name.

Ten years. Ten full years. My desk went from a spot by the window to being stuck right next to the bathroom door.

My pay went from three thousand to six thousand dollars. My year-end bonus went from 1,500 dollars to 4,000 dollars.

And then there was Edward.

His salary was triple mine. His year-end bonus was ten times what I got. His stock options were a hundred times what I got.

His house was the courtesy of the company. The company also provided him with his car. His name was front and center in the company's core systems.

And me? My name was buried in the code comments. Those comments? They could be wiped out anytime.

*****

The next day, I went to the office as usual.

As soon as I sat down, my phone rang. It was an unknown number.

"Is this Mr. Jace Chandler?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Yes, that's me," I replied.

The caller introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Blake Newman from a headhunting firm."

I said, "Oh, sorry, I'm not considering a job change at the moment."

"Wait a moment, Mr. Chandler." Blake sounded genuinely sincere. "I know you've been at CloudTrace Tech for ten years, and I also know you're the real developer behind that core algorithm."

I paused, surprised. "How do you know that?"

Blake said, "The tech circle's pretty tight. Insiders know everything. I can spot your coding style from a mile away."

I stayed silent.

He continued, "Mr. Chandler, there's a company looking to headhunt you. They're offering a 700 thousand dollars annual salary, plus stock options."

I asked, "Which company?"

"Stellar Technology," Blake replied.

'Stellar Technology? That was CloudTrace Tech's biggest rival.

"Why are they trying to headhunt me?" I asked.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Mr. Chandler, how about it? Will you give it some thought?" Blake asked.

I replied, "I... I'll think about it."

Blake said, "Great, I'll send you my contact info. You can reach out anytime."

After I hung up, I just sat there at my desk, staring blankly at my screen.

700 thousand dollars a year. That was about ten times what I was making now. Would things finally be different for me if I joined Stellar Technology?

"Jace."

A voice snapped me out of my thoughts. It was Lewis.

"Mr. Horton," I greeted him.

"Come to my office at three this afternoon. I need to talk to you about something," he said.

"Okay," I replied.

At three sharp, I showed up at Lewis's office.

Besides Lewis Horton, there was someone else in the room. It was Sandra Glover, the HR director.

"Jace, have a seat," Lewis said, gesturing toward the couch.

I sat down.