Hot Seat Hustlers
Nab a Seat
Thanks to government regulation, there's a black market for pretty much anything you can think of. From electronics to illicit drugs to baby formula — if you need it and it's scarce, chances are you can find a guy who knows a guy. Even the weird stuff: river sand, cemetery dirt, and used cooking oil from fast food restaurants.
Speaking of restaurants, outdoor seating has officially become contraband. Last month Spain's National Police busted a group of six men and one woman for stealing more than 1,100 chairs. What may have begun as a prank apparently morphed into a full-on illicit enterprise.
This Gambino-Family-adjacent crew allegedly cat-burgled 18 restaurants in Madrid, swiping nearly $70,000 worth of unsecured outdoor seating in just two months. Perhaps following the gangster mantra “leave the churro, take the chair,” La Silla Familia planned to resell the hottest seats in town to restaurants across Spain, Morocco, and Romania.
But as always, what’s done in the dark eventually comes to light — and now the Tripplehorn party of seven is facing “significant legal repercussions” for running the spiciest seating startup Europe never asked for.
Thought Thieves
Funny enough, this whole chair-stealing saga isn’t that different from office life: a few people doing the real work while someone else quietly drags the credit across town and tries to resell it.
And while workplace thieves aren’t boosting chairs at 2 a.m., they are quick to pull up a seat at the head of the table — even when you built the table.
Idea theft is one of the most infuriating workplace realities — right up there with unpaid overtime disguised as “leadership opportunities” and people who reply-all to say “Thanks!” But reacting on impulse only hands the thief more power. Mindfulness gives you space to respond cleanly instead of combustively.
When someone tries to sit in a seat you earned, try to reclaim it without losing your cool.
Claim Your Work Early, Before Anyone Else Can
You don’t need to brand your ideas like cattle, but you can leave a breadcrumb trail.
Send follow-up emails summarizing your contributions, share drafts in writing, or speak up at the start of a meeting with something as simple as: “Building on the concept I shared yesterday…”
It’s a gentle, professional reminder that the seat is already taken.
Address It Directly, Not Dramatically
If someone swipes your idea, don't lose your head — use your head. Calmly pull them aside and say:
“Hey, I noticed the idea we discussed ended up in the deck without attribution. Going forward, can we make sure we’re aligned on how we present shared work?”
Calm tone. Clear boundary. Zero theatrics.
Use the Power of the Well-Timed ‘We’
When someone hijacks your idea in a meeting, jump back in with a collaborative redirect:
“Yes — and when I first shared that approach, I suggested…”
You’re not fighting. You’re not accusing. You’re reclaiming your seat with receipts and grace.
Protect Your Peace, Not Just Your Credit
Sometimes reclaiming the idea isn’t worth the emotional rent it charges. If an idea-zilla makes a habit of theft, eventually everyone sees the pattern. And trust is the one thing no thief can steal.
You can’t stop every coworker from sliding their chair a little too close to your work. But you can stay grounded, aware, and intentional — which is its own kind of power.
At some point, you stop playing musical chairs and start choosing your seat.
Stealing ideas might get someone a chair for the moment, but taking the mindful high road? That’s where the real seats of influence are — and they’re a whole lot more comfortable.
