Logic Bomb

This story would be funny if were not sad and true. I used to work with a programmer who graduated college the year I was born. He worked with antiquated technology and guarded his job and the secrets of his code with his very life. His whole demeanor at the workplace was a product of his fear of being made redundant. Yes, there were automated spreadsheets involved there too. Last I heard he had retired from the job after a multi-decade run exactly in the same role. 

When I first met him, I was taken aback by his resistance to any new idea and his unwillingness to share anything he knew. Over time, I was able to earn his trust and maybe some grudging respect. He would talk about his weekends and grand-kids occasionally. I showed him pictures of J. I am certain given a choice, he would have lived a different kind of life, worked a job where fear of unemployment was not the daily guiding force. Yet, with each passing year it became just a little harder to make change, illnesses in the family required the medical insurance sponsored by this employer and he learned to play strong defense to hold down the fort for all who depended on him.