TORONTO – Employees at a local software firm were surprised yesterday when one of their colleagues attempted to use Zoom’s “blur my background” feature to hide the fact he is currently incarcerated.
Staffers reported that something seemed off from the start of the online meeting with Adrian Reynolds, 46, from Accounting, who claimed to be working from home. “I thought it was weird he was using an iPhone 4S instead of his laptop,” said Jada Robinson, 32. “His background looked fine at first, like he was sitting in front of French doors. But then I realized it was just some blurry prison bars.”
Colleagues described Reynolds as a solid employee who was often busy with side projects. “I heard he started a business with his brother-in-law,” said Mohit Singh, 51. “Something to do with gift cards, and helping seniors invest in crypto?”
Employees noted other hints to Reynolds’ location, such as part of an institutional bunk bed being visible, and the moment when Reynolds threw a blanket over the phone just as a uniformed figure strolled by in the background. “At one point the blur effect cut out for a second, and I was like, why does Adrian have a stainless steel toilet in his home office?” recalled Shelley Drake, 44.
Co-workers also mentioned a moment when Reynolds’ overview of Q2 expenses was interrupted by an off-camera voice saying, “Phone time’s up, punk. Unless you wanna give up another week of lunch cookies.” Reynolds muted himself and engaged in a short, heated exchange before resuming his summary.
“For me, the biggest clue was the orange jumpsuit,” said Robinson. “He rolled up the sleeves and put a tie on, but come on. Also, the tie may have been a sock.”
HR manager Lynn Klein said that speculation about Reynolds’ incarceration status was inappropriate and unfounded. “Mr. Reynolds requested temporary work-from-home status due to a change in his commute time. We were happy to accommodate the full length of his request: two years less a day, minus time off for good behaviour. Hm. That’s a little odd.”
Adrian Reynolds was not available for comment.
