There’s a lot to hate about living in a hyper-vigilant world. Privacy is constantly eroded, smartphones can track our every move, and social media controls our souls.
But there’s also an upside, and it’s a considerable one. The douche-canoe actions of powerful, wealthy people are finally being caught out in real time. Leaders can no longer hide behind privilege, influence, or PR machinery.
And honestly, it’s a beautiful thing to watch.
Take this past weekend. Another male CEO managed to completely derail his public image in spectacular fashion, this time not on a kiss cam à la Andy Byron, but courtside at a tennis match.
Polish tennis star Kamil Majchrzak had just pulled off the match of his life, toppling No.9 seed Karen Khachanov after coming back from two sets down to win (2-6, 6-7 (7-4), 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5). The crowd was electric and fans rushed courtside for the chance to get a piece of memorabilia signed.
One young boy in particular could barely contain himself. Majchrzak approached, smiling, and reached out to hand him his match-winning cap. For a split second, it looked like a young fan’s dream moment.
But then, out of nowhere, a looming man standing next to the little boy yanked the hat from Majchrzak’s hand, ignoring the kid’s pleas and surreptitiously shoved it into his wife’s adjacent tote bag.
We’ve all seen the footage by now. It’s the kind of clip that makes you question humanity. The sheer audacity of robbing a child in such a blatant way.
And in another era, this man probably would’ve gotten away with it. He would have gone home, handed the hat to his kids, and laughed off the whole thing, smug in the knowledge no one saw.
But it’s not 2005. It’s 2025.
Within hours, the video was circulating globally. The man’s identity was revealed as Polish millionaire CEO Piotr Szczerek, who heads up a paving contractor company called DrogBruk. Very quickly, his business was in tatters.
Unlike Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who just weeks ago was caught on a Coldplay kiss cam having an affair with a colleague and tried to keep his head down, Szczerek at least fronted up with an apology.
He claimed he was “convinced” Majchrzak had been passing the hat in his direction. “I know I did something that seemed like consciously collecting a memento from a child,” he said in a statement. “This wasn’t my intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans.”
The apology might soften the blow, but the reputational damage is done.
Of course, some will argue the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. That a moment of stupidity shouldn’t cost someone their career or livelihood. And they may be right– we are all, after all, capable of bad judgment.
But my take is this: when you are in a position of power, wealth, and influence, the bar is higher. For decades, too many powerful men have acted like they are untouchable, insulated from consequences that ordinary people would face. If the new reality is that a few of them are made into examples, perhaps that’s exactly what’s needed.
Because these stories aren’t really about a hat, or even a kiss cam. They’re about accountability. About stripping away the arrogance that power breeds, and reminding leaders everywhere that someone is always watching.
And maybe, just maybe, that knowledge will be enough to make the next Piotr Szczerek, or Andy Byron, think twice before acting like nothing can touch them.