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‘It’s horrible and why I got out’: TikToker says to succeed in corporate America you need to be ‘fake as f*ck,’ sparking debate

‘I’m in hr and it’s soul draining!’

Photo of Cecilia Lenzen

Cecilia Lenzen

woman speaking (l) woman speaking pointing finger to caption 'Skill you need to have to work in corporate America' (c) woman speaking (r)

If you’re wondering what it takes to succeed in corporate America, some TikTokers say they have the answer: be fake as fuck.

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One TikToker (@notkaityfuqua) recently posted a video saying corporate workers need the skill of being “fake as fuck.” She says corporate workers should be prepared to “lie through [their] teeth.”

Another TikToker, named Melanie (@lifebymelaniev), stitched the video, adding her two cents.

“This is so true,” Melanie says. “When I worked in corporate, the amount of times I was told that you just have to ‘play the game’ — absolutely wild.”

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@lifebymelaniev #stitch with @notkaityfuqua Some people don’t mind this but if you don’t like it, just know that there are other options. #hustleculture #balancedlifestylecoach #burnoutrecovery #worklifebalance #corporate #corporatetiktok #quittingcorporate ♬ Lo-fi hip hop – NAO-K

Melanie says there are some people working in corporate who are good at “the game” and don’t mind playing it. But she’s not one of those people. She urges her viewers to remember there are other options if they’re stuck in a corporate job they don’t like.

“When you’re in corporate, it can feel like being in corporate is the only way to make a living because that’s what everyone around you is doing, obviously because they’re your co-workers,” Melanie says in the video. “But if you don’t like it, there are other options.”

One viewer asked the creator for clarification on what “playing the game” means.

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“Does playing the game mean having to go along with someone else narrative?” they wrote.

In reply to the question, the creator wrote, “In the context I was told, it was a mix of that and also just acting fake + going along with upper managements requests even when you disagree.”

Other viewers wholeheartedly agreed with the TikToker.

“100%. Play the game. Talk what people want to talk about. It’s horrible and why I got out,” one viewer commented.

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“It’s like Survivor. Been doin it for 20+ seasons,” another viewer commented.

Multiple other viewers said working in corporate is “exhausting” and even “soul draining.”

The Daily Dot reached out to the creator via TikTok comment.


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