A prank cursor resulted in an employee being fired before they started (2020)

An intern at Microsoft was fired before officially starting due to a prank gone wrong. The intern added code to the Windows 3.1 system that changed the index finger cursor to a middle finger under specific conditions. This prank made its way into a beta release distributed to various companies and testers, causing an uproar when the offensive cursor nearly appeared in a magazine screenshot. Senior management got involved, and the responsible individual was initially let go. However, they were later rehired after a brief break, likely following a stern discussion. The incident sparked discussions on bug classification within the company. Despite the controversy, the intern's return suggests a learning opportunity for both the individual and the company's processes. The situation highlighted the importance of thorough code reviews and quality assurance to prevent such incidents in the future.