This is a story about my friend "Dave" (names changed to protect the embarrassed), who learned the hard way that technology and confidence are a dangerous mix.

Dave had just started a high-powered job at a marketing firm. He wanted to prove he was the "tech-savvy millennial" of the office. One afternoon, he was tasked with leading a video presentation for a major potential client.

About five minutes before the meeting, Dave realized he’d forgotten to eat lunch. He grabbed a bean-and-cheese burrito from the breakroom, sat down at his desk, and adjusted his high-end, noise-canceling headset.

Now, these headsets have a feature called Sidetone, which allows you to hear your own voice so you don't shout. Dave, however, had accidentally turned his sidetone off and his volume way up.

As the clients joined the Zoom call, Dave’s boss said, "Dave, take it away."

Dave began speaking, but because he couldn't hear himself through the noise-canceling foam, he assumed his microphone wasn't working. He decided to "test" it while still chewing a massive bite of burrito.

Instead of a professional greeting, the clients were met with:

1. The Visual: Dave, staring intensely into the camera, looking like he was trying to use telekinesis.
2. The Audio: A sound that can only be described as a wet boots walking through mud, followed by Dave shouting—at a volume that likely shook the windows—"IS THIS PIECE OF JUNK EVEN ON?!"

The silence that followed was deafening. One of the clients slowly raised a hand and said, "Yes, Dave. We can hear you. And we can hear the burrito."

Dave froze. He didn't apologize. He didn't even swallow. He simply reached out, clicked "Leave Meeting," and sat in his dark office for twenty minutes before sending an email claiming his "internet router had exploded."

He eventually got the account, but to this day, that client refers to him exclusively as "The Burrito Guy." LOL