Twenty five year old Brian Maupin of Kansas City, Missouri has worked for Best Buy in their mobile phones department for the last three years. That is until recently when Best Buy has been taking steps to terminate him based on a couple funny videos that he made pitting the Android based HTC Evo against the new iPhone 4. After the videos were released Best Buy confronted Maupin after somehow figuring out that he is behind the YouTube name “Tiny Watch Productions” which produces indie type films made with friends.
Best Buy stated “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,”. The thing is that nowhere in the videos are there any references to Best Buy's brand or name in fact in the beginning of the video the name Phone Mart is used.
This morning Best Buy asked Maupin to resign from his job but he refused. Their response was to suspend him and telling him that he would most likely be terminated after Best Buy Human Resources reviewed the case. In his defense, Maupin issues this statement 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.”
So far the videos have reached over 1.3 million views and growing. If you haven't watched the video yet I encourage you to check it out (as it's hilarious) and give us your opinions on it and the issue between Best Buy and Brian Maupin in the comments.
*language warning*
[via techcrunch]
This is awesome information! I have to thank you for providing so much insight into this subject. I am so happy I found your article.
This video is making fun of the consumer, it has nothing to do with any particular store. It was hilarious, and if Best Buy is going to act like a big jerk by treating Maupin the way they are, then I will go shop somewhere else and tell all my friends to do the same. They need to get rid of those idiots in the corporate office.
I was sent a link to the video, loved it. Googled for it again to show a friend at work, and found all this hoopla, which is how I learned that it was a Best Buy employee and that he was suspended, etc. Now Best buy is in trouble with me and anybody who has heard about this. Why? Not at all because of this guy’s excellent video. Rather, because they stupidly took a belligerent stand that was bound to become public and did. Whatever were they thinking? A company so involved in technology, the Internet, communications, etc., should have known that a successful viral video would have a viral influence on any such side issues that cropped up around it. Stupid, stupid company!
omg, i frickin love that vid, the message is ligit though. but i don’t think he should’ve lost his job over it, it wasn’t until i saw this article that i even knew it had anything to do with BestBuy whatsoever… and i don’t think stockholders sit around watching cartoon indie movies on youtube… and if they did, i’m sure they’d laugh and say, “haha people are so stupid. but oh well, cause i’m making money off of them.” sheesh.
That’s bs. Since when would a viral video get someone fired? His name nor best buys name were mensioned in this. I have had a few bad experiences with best buy but will totally cut myself off if he gets fired. He’s probably a better employee/sales associate than anyone in my local store.
Best Buy suks if they fire the dude for this. Who the hell even knew he actually worked for Best Buy until THEY said something? Or someone he worked with must have snitched. Either way, they shouldnt fire him.
“…have NOT hired the person….”
I don’t think that Best Buy should fire him. And if they do, I will never shop Best Buy again. But I also believe an employer has a right to fire an employee for any reason (and I am not worried about “protected class” since if an employer had a problem with that, they would have hired the person in the first place).”
So Best Buy can fire him and those of us who don’t like that can fire Best Buy.
I would sue the sh*t out of best buy for trying to fire me for this. Freedom of speech! The video mentions nothing about best buy its not like he made it at work or promoted it at work. He could make porn in his spare time…it doesn’t matter. Best buy has no right to tell him what he can or can’t do in his own time when the activity is completely legal. Go ahead and collect your settlement Brian. You deserve it!
This has nothing to do with Bestbuy. When does an employees freedom of speech end. He has his right to his own opinion off the job and must be impartial while at the store when customers ask him question about phone, specs, best plans to buy. How far into our private lives can companies dictate what we do, where does it stop.
Really funny -evo-
yeah seriously they are just as much sticking it to the evo which they also sell by firing him as they are sucking up to apple. its very wrong
That’s asanine. I hope Best Buy is having a good time in bed with Steve Jobs. Way to be a kiss *** and not uphold anyone’s right to free speech.
Funny add hell.(texted from my EVO not iPhone 4) Lmao.
Did he not also make this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAOtC9QfXac&list=TLPPMTUwMzIwMjQ6_wqPWn5f6Q.
It was also published by Tiny Watch Productions, and is an equally hilarious rebuttal for iPhone users :-)