A Denver woman thought she was harmlessly talking about her salary on TikTok, but then she got punished for it, according to CBS Colorado.
Lex Larson, a 25-year-old TikTok creator, works in the tech industry and loves sharing her daily routine and what it's like in the field. One video talking about her new job and pay increase from $70,000 a year to $90,000 per year blew up, bringing in thousands of views.
"A lot of people commented saying, 'you're just bragging, you just want people to think you make a lot of money' or something like that. I was posting my salary back when I wasn't making very much at all," Larson told reporters. "I just wanted to let people know that it's doable and it's not out of reach for the average person."
Just as things were getting good, her employer caught wind of the TikTok, leading to her termination two weeks later. The company, which has not been identified, says they fired her over security concerns, CBS Colorado reports The video in question has since been removed, as well.
"[My managers] implied that other people at the company were not paid as much," Larson explains. "They didn't want people to know that. It was a phone call. I have no paper record of that."
Her audience was shocked at the sudden turn of events, and some even wondered if Larson is going to take legal action. The TikToker says she doesn't plan to sue since Colorado is an at-will state, meaning they can fire you for any reason as long as it's not illegal.
The 25-year-old later shared that she went back to her previous job, but stressed that transparency with wages is still important.