Somebody explain the following chain of work-related events to me, because I sure as hell can’t figure it out:

  1. My company considers outsourcing work to an external provider. A preliminary meeting is held.
  2. I’m called in at the end of the meeting to debunk the claims of said vendor. The old “that slide is missing from the presentation” excuse is offered; I politely digress.
  3. Vendor insists on an opportunity to explain their case in full. They proceed to harass me for several days to arrange for a phone call.
  4. My manager instructs me to “rip apart” said vendor once and for all during this phone call.
  5. I do. They admit on the phone they can’t do what they claim. I extract an inordinate amount of pleasure from the victory.
  6. Moments after the call ends, I’m told that I should have waited — we’re now trying to sell our product to the vendor.
  7. Friday can’t arrive soon enough.