Hearts & Minds: How to become the internet’s most hated man in under 10 seconds

One moment of poor judgment, caught on camera, can torch a reputation faster than any corporate scandal. On Saturday, a Polish multimillionaire at the US Open reached over and snatched a signed cap meant for a child. Within hours, he wasn’t a successful CEO anymore but the ‘most hated man on the internet’. His company deleted its social channels, he vanished from view, and into the vacuum poured memes, fury, and even an unverified statement in his name threatening legal action. His silence was even more damning.

That was the first lesson. There is no hiding place. The minute he realised he’d been captured on video he should have come forward. You cannot escape; your face has been seen by millions. Come forward immediately, before others do.

By skulking, you’re compounding the error and you have no semblance of control. That is what happened. While he stayed out of sight, the boy was found and the tennis player stepped in with a kind gesture: he gave him a new autographed cap. Contrast that with the absent CEO. Finally, two whole days after the incident, he posted on his Facebook page a plea for forgiveness and said that he had given the hat back. ‘I would like to apologise to the injured boy, his family, all the fans, and the player himself.’ No mention of his own relatives and the stakeholders caught up in the fallout. He offered a convoluted explanation that failed to impress. In this instance always, less is more, only simplicity suffices. ‘I made a grave mistake. In the midst of emotion, amidst the crowd’s celebration after the victory, I was convinced that the tennis player was passing the cap to me - for my sons, who had previously asked for autographs. This mistaken belief caused me to instinctively reach out.’

Too late. In an age where the smallest unscripted deed can be global in seconds, the choice isn’t whether to engage but how quickly and how humanely. This was a reputational car crash in real time, and a vivid reminder that small acts of generosity repair faster than big corporate statements ever can. The CEO went on: ‘For years, my wife and I have been engaged in helping children and young athletes, but this situation has shown I think that one moment of disregard can ruin years of work and support.’ He did get that bit right.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.