Cisco Exec Makes Death Threat Over $4,000 Bike
According to the AP, Cisco executives like Joe Burton are brave technology warriors, building the networking giant's post-recession future. According to a guy who runs a Bay Area bike shop, though, Burton's a jackass.
Burton is the CTO of Cisco's unified communications group. But he's not very good at that person-to-person communication thing.
According to a profile he created on PeopleJar, Burton characterizes himself as an amateur cyclist. Apparently enraged that his custom-built $4,000 Cervélo was a day late, Burton stormed into Cyclepath, a bike shop in Pleasanton, Calif., to get a final fitting. When told he'd have to wait 15 minutes while other customers got served, Burton started letting loose on the salesman, according to Cyclepath owner Joel Davis.
After a salesman apologized for the delay and asked if there was anything he could do, the Cisco executive let loose with an acidic reply. "Be sorry you are that way, not that I feel that way," Burton said, according to a written report of his encounter. "I hope you die." After Davis called Burton to complain, Burton told him, "Under no uncertain terms will I ever fucking apologize to any member of your fucking staff." Davis says Burton finally relented after he told him that Cyclepath customers were willing to testify about his behavior to the police, and offered the Cyclepath employee an apology that Davis characterized as "half-hearted."
We'd like to know: Are Cisco's labs developing a solution to prevent the likes of Burton from communicating with anyone, anytime, ever?
