Rizwan Mahmood was fired over a video call from his job at Estonian tech company Bolt in March 2025.
Mahmood had worked in operations there for almost four years. He says he was offered two months' salary in exchange for signing a document describing the separation as "mutually agreed". He declined.
“The rage I felt was unmatched,” he wrote on LinkedIn last week. Instead of walking away, he used ChatGPT extensively to build his case, then filed a dispute with Estonia’s Labour Dispute Committee in June.
According to the committee’s summary of the dispute, which also received submissions from Bolt, Mahmood had "not been able to cope with his duties for a long time," with his manager having given him verbal and then written feedback. Mahmood pushed back.
His performance reviews, he argued, reflected good work. There had been no performance improvement plan — typically expected when issues are identified — and no warning that his job was at risk.
The hearing was held last July and lasted around 90 minutes. A few weeks later, the committee ruled in Mahmood's favour. Bolt was ordered to pay €14,500, the equivalent of three months' salary. "I got justice, I got the money, and I didn't have to sign any NDA," he said.
Bolt’s response
In a statement to Sifted, a spokesperson said the company takes such matters “very seriously” but does not discuss employment cases publicly, adding that the account shared online reflects only one side of events.
"We respect the decision of the Labour Dispute Committee and have carefully reviewed the situation to further improve our processes," the statement read. "It is important to us that people working at Bolt feel supported, valued, and treated fairly."
Jahanzeb Ahmed, Bolt’s director of CS operations, also commented beneath Mahmood’s LinkedIn post: “One case is important to learn from, but it doesn't define an entire company or the thousands of good people working there.”
Mahmood, originally from Pakistan, knew he was taking a risk by going public. "Estonia is super small. Every company would find out in the following weeks. My chances of clearing an interview with another employer are fairly slim." He has since founded his own startup.
The response to his story has been largely positive, with many commenters praising him for speaking openly about something that rarely gets discussed.
Advice for others
For anyone who finds themselves in a similar position, Mahmood has a few clear takeaways.
Don't rush to sign anything. "No one can pressure you to sign anything," he says. Keep copies of your performance reviews — "protect your downside should something bad happen." And whatever you think of your employer, take the time to understand local labour law.
ChatGPT, he says, helped him structure his argument, think through potential compromises during negotiations, and get his bearings on the broader legal landscape.
Going public, he's clear, was never about damaging the company. "The intent was to raise awareness around employee rights."
