A TikTok creator is going viral after refusing to train the 25-year-old coworker who was promoted over her, arguing that companies routinely exploit experienced workers while favoring younger and cheaper employees.
The creator, who goes by The Unobsolete (@theunobsolete), said her employer expected her to hand over decades of knowledge for free, despite passing her over for the role.
In the Feb. 10, 2026 video, she explained why she said no and the fallout that resulted from her decision.
"They expected me to teach her the job they said I wasn't good enough for," The Unobsolete said.
She went on to say that if they wanted her 25 years of knowledge, they would have to pay her appropriately. Furthermore, she was not going to be passed up for someone younger, willing to work for a fraction of her salary, and then use her experience to train them.
"I'm not your free training program," she explained. "Want me to smile while you humiliate me? Wrong person."
The creator received backlash from her company for her decision, but she told viewers that she didn't care.
"They said (I was) not supporting team. I said (the) team didn’t support me."
The video concluded with some words of advice for navigating the corporate landscape: "The second you stop being useful, they stop pretending to care," she said.
"So stop pretending you owe them anything."
@theunobsolete watched 25-year-old get my promotion then ask me to train her. I said no. Not sorry. Not maybe. Just no. She shocked. Manager furious. HR email about team player. Don’t care. They passed me over for promotion I earned. Gave it to someone with zero experience. Expected me to teach her job they said I wasn’t good enough for. Train my replacement? Pay me. Want 25 years knowledge? Triple salary consulting rates. Want me to smile while you humiliate me? Wrong person. Not your free training program. Not making cheap hire look competent. Not handing over everything so you can pay her half. They said unprofessional. I said appropriately compensated or not sharing. They said not supporting team. I said team didn’t support me. Silence. Second you stop being useful they stop caring. Stop pretending you owe them anything.#promotions #over50 #notateamplayer #genx #isaidno
♬ original sound - The Unobsolete
TikTok rallies behind her refusal
The video immediately went viral, receiving nearly 4 million views and 400,000 likes. Most comments were in support of the creator, applauding her for setting boundaries and pushing back against age discrimination.
"Can't be a team player for a team that played you," said one user. Another said, "Someone should tell corporate America that is illegal."
Another simply wrote, "ageism is very alive and well."
Others recounted their own workplace inequities. "They hired 6 people to replace me and the work I was doing & wanted me to train them." One TikToker recounted. "Nope."
"My aunt sued the state of Ohio for the exact situation and she won her suit," said another. "You did the right thing."
Forbes reported that 99% of workers over the age of 40 reported ageism in the workplace. This included navigating ageist stereotypes, bullying, and feeling pressure to hide their age.
Additionally, according to the AARP 22% of workers over 50 years old say they are being pushed out of their job because of their age.
What happened next
A day after posting the TikTok, The Unobsolete posted an update to her situation, garnering over 2.3 million views.
She shared that she had a meeting discussing her "attitude." While she didn't get fired (which would be illegal), after the meeting, she began being excluded from company functions and given less work.
Additionally, her interactions were constantly being scrutinized. This was no surprise, as she was warned in the meeting that the company's culture might not be a "good fit" for her.
"I agree," the Unobsolete said in the meeting. "A culture that exploits experience isn't a fit for me."
@theunobsolete UPDATE: Refused to train replacement. What happened next I expected. Two days later meeting with manager and HR. My attitude. Not that they passed me over or wanted free labor. My attitude refusing exploitation. They said not collaborative poor leadership need team players. I said you passed me over want free training punish boundaries that’s control not collaboration. Silence. Not willing develop staff maybe not culture fit. I said right. Culture exploiting experience isn’t my fit. Ready for compensation talk? No? Back to my job. Didn’t fire me. Can’t. Lawsuit risk. Instead stopped including meetings gave projects away documented everything performance issues. Managed out playbook. I documented everything back. Every email meeting project. Knew exactly what they were doing. #promotions #isaidno #refused #over45 #corporatetiktok
♬ original sound - The Unobsolete
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