[nugget]

Give us a break. There's a world of difference between Cosby (rape accusations) and a tech worker who was fired at 51 weeks (1 week ahead of a vesting date), which almost everybody can read between the lines on (was likely a marginal fit and the company dropped the ball/took a long time deciding whether to keep them or not). The company might respond with ''they sucked, and deserved to be fired'' but that's hardly being ''crushed'' in the public sphere.

[maxlybbert]

I took the "Cosby defense" to refer to Cosby countersuing his accusers ( http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0TX2AG20151214 ). I haven't paid much attention to that trial, so it wouldn't surprise me if he or his legal team had also insulted the accusers.

[M_Grey]

Exactly... attacking people in public has an effect, even when it probably shouldn't. I thought the Cosby situation was a good, extreme example of that. I'm glad that someone got what I was trying to say, however ineptly I've been saying it.

[M_Grey]

The company might respond a little more aggressively, and again, it would all depend on whether or not someone has anything to hide. Accusing an accuser is an old and sadly, proven technique. That said, I'm tired of getting downvotes from people who can't imagine bad behavior of this type, so...