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."
