A board game bar should have been the backdrop for laughter, friendly competition, and clinking glasses. Instead, it became the stage for one man’s ego trip.
Nick, a fresh-faced developer, spent the evening bragging about his job and generously buying drinks for a woman he barely knew. He never bothered to ask what she did for a living, just assumed she wasn’t in his league.
What he didn’t know was that she was a seasoned software engineer. Amused by his arrogance, she kept her career to herself.
But when her profession later surfaced on social media, Nick’s pride took a hard hit. Furious, he accused her of deceiving him. Was she wrong for staying quiet, or was his downfall entirely of his own making?
A night of board games turned into a lesson in assumptions. Here’s her story:
The night started lighthearted, with dice rolling, cocktails flowing, and casual conversation. Nick, eager to impress, dominated the table talk.
He described his developer job in detail, making quips like “you wouldn’t understand” whenever the woman showed interest. He capped it off by insisting on paying for her drinks, a gesture that came off less chivalrous and more patronizing.
She didn’t correct him. In fact, she said little about herself, letting him assume whatever he wanted. The truth was she held a senior position as a software engineer, more experienced than Nick by years.
The reveal came later, when Facebook connections exposed her actual job title. Suddenly, Nick’s attitude flipped. He accused her of misleading him and embarrassing him in front of others. To him, it was a “trick.” To her, it was simply letting him talk himself into a corner.
The clash highlighted a deeper issue: his assumptions about women in tech and his fragile response when reality didn’t match his expectations.
Expert Opinion
Etiquette and communication experts say the woman wasn’t in the wrong. She wasn’t obligated to disclose her career, especially since Nick never asked.
As Dr. Deborah Tannen of Georgetown University explains, “Conversational mismatches often stem from assuming rather than inquiring, especially across gender lines.”
Nick’s behavior reflects a broader cultural pattern. A 2023 study published in Gender & Society found that 40% of women in STEM face mistaken assumptions about their roles, often being underestimated or dismissed.
By bragging instead of engaging, Nick fell right into this stereotype.
The woman’s silence might have been cheeky, but it wasn’t deceptive. The real issue lies in Nick’s lack of curiosity and his defensiveness once the truth surfaced.
Here’s what people had to say to OP:
The chorus of support kept rolling in, with commenters applauding the OP for shutting down the cousin’s sabotage attempt:
Redditors were quick to call out Nick’s arrogance, pointing out how his own bragging and sexist assumptions backfired spectacularly:
![[Reddit User] − Nick was bragging. You played along with it. It probably never occurred to him that women can be software engineers.](https://dailyhighlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/wp-editor-1758686512237-21.webp "Man Brags About His New Developer Job - Until He Finds Out the Woman He Was Buying Drinks For Is a Software Engineer")
More commenters piled on, sharing their own experiences with arrogant men and praising OP for handling Nick’s ego with humor and grace:
Was her silence a clever move, or should she have spilled the beans? Let’s hear your thoughts.
This barroom saga proves that sometimes the best clapback is silence. By saying nothing, the woman exposed Nick’s arrogance without lifting a finger.
His bruised pride turned a night of drinks into a family feud, but the lesson is clear: assumptions can be costly, especially when paired with condescension.
So what do you think? Was her silence sly but harmless, or should she have spoken up to spare Nick’s ego?
