In a viral video, user Sami Harris (@samikatherinee) explained that she believed she was fired from her job as a copywriter not because of her performance, but because she is autistic.
@samikatherinee sorry for my duct taped filming background lol but the tea needed to be spilled. more in part 2 :) @idgadvertising #autism #neurodivergent #autismworkplace #corruptbuisness ♬ original sound – Sami Harris
“I feel traumatized,” the TikToker began her video. “I feel like I just got hit by a f*cking bus.”
According to Sami, a company called IDG Advertising fired her because of her autism.
“And I was the perfect employee,” the woman added. “I did everything right. I got there on time. I put on my silly little neurotypical mask. I adhered to the dress code. I did my work. And then on Thursday … I was just told that It was going to be my last day.”
When the autistic worker asked why she was being fired, her former boss allegedly said, “Oh just cause it’s not working out.”
Sami said she then pressed her employer for a reason for the firing and asked why she was never given a warning. The answer only further infuriated the employee.
”We did give you a warning,” her superiors allegedly said. “At your 30 day check-in.”
The TikToker noted that she had found the meeting “sus” when it happened. But after asking friends and family if a check-in meeting was normal and being told she didn’t have anything to worry about, she decided to ignore the feeling in her gut.
Sami also said that she received “glowing reviews” during that meeting and was asked if she had any “concerns.” She says management repeatedly told her that her voice mattered at the company.
In addition to the “sus” check-in meeting, she alleges that her coworkers would gossip about her and laugh at her behind her back. She also says that she noticed her boss going into the CEO’s office all the time during her last week there, but again, she told herself that she was overreacting and tried to ignore it.
“No, it turns out I have really good pattern recognition from being autistic and they were all talking shit about me in a Discord group chat,” she said, before adding, “I know this because it popped up on the operation manager’s screen while he was firing me.”
While she notes that California is an “at-will employment state,” which means her superiors were within their rights to fire the worker no matter what the reason was, Sami was upset by her employer’s behavior.
“All my suspicions were right. I ignored all the red flags because I was grateful to be in the 15 percent of autistic people that are employed,” the fired worker concluded.
The video received over 39,000 views, and commenters agreed that Sami had been wronged.
One user sympathized with the worker, saying, “You’re probably waaay better off not working there but its BS :/ it very clear that its due to discrimination and I’d be pissed too!”
“So you’re gonna sue right? There’s discrimination laws,” asked another, to which Sami responded, “Yes that’s my plan! I have a friend in law school who is going to help me explore my options.”
In several follow-up videos, Sami called her former place of employment toxic and spilled the tea on her former employer. Chief among her complaints was the fact that the company suffered from nepotism and that family members within the organization got preferential treatment over other employees.
Viewers of the follow-up videos applauded the TikToker’s decision to stand up for herself and speak her truth.
“As an autistic person who was discriminated against at my last job, and couldn’t speak up about it bc of contracts- thank you for speaking up,” another fired worker wrote.
“Love you lots & I’m always gonna speak up for us!!” the creator responded.
The Daily Dot reached out to IDG Advertising via contact from and Sami via email for further information.
Update 5:50am CT July 25: In an email to the Daily Dot, a spokesperson for IDG Advertising states that Sami was not fired due to her autism diagnosis.
“IDG Advertising wholeheartedly denies all allegations of discrimination and wrongful termination; Ms. Harris’s comments about the cause of her termination and other workplace behaviors are categorically untrue.”
The spokesperson claims that the company would have gladly met any accommodations Sami needed. However, they allege that the worker never disclosed her autism diagnosis, nor did she ask for any special accommodations, until after she was fired.
“As a second-generation-owned small business, we take any and all claims of discrimination and misconduct seriously and have not had a single employee complaint in more than 31 years of operation. We proudly employ individuals from all walks of life and firmly stand against discrimination of any kind, including race, sexuality, gender identity, gender representation, age or abilities. Furthermore, we enthusiastically provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities in accordance with The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to ensure an accessible workplace.”
“Upon completing a thorough internal review of Ms. Harris’s employee file, it was determined that she did not disclose her Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis to IDG’s management team at any time during her 59 days of employment, nor did she request any reasonable accommodations. If her diagnosis and needs had been disclosed, we would have made all the necessary accommodations to ensure she was fully supported. Ms. Harris waited until after she was notified of her termination to disclose her diagnosis.”
The company maintains, “Contrary to Ms. Harris’s statements, her termination was in no way discriminatory, and we have substantial evidence supporting our decision.”
The statement concludes by saying, “We are a small business of 13 employees focused on cultivating a work environment where people can establish their careers long-term; as a result, most of our staff has been part of the IDG team for five years or more. These false accusations have been devastating to our company as we strive to provide a working environment that is welcoming, supportive and inclusive to all. We hope that by providing this statement, we can finally bring closure and context to any speculation raised by Ms. Harris’s content and this article. Despite her allegations and attacks on our company and staff, we genuinely wish her the best in her future endeavors.”
