TIFUpdate: I’m the “Mute Guy.” I thought I’d be fired, but my accidental outburst just got me promoted to the Strategy Team.

It has been 2 days since I taped a piece of cardboard over my mute button. I genuinely thought if I just kept my mouth shut, the "Truth Teller" jokes would die out by Friday and I could go back to being invisible.

I was wrong.

I just checked my calendar and saw an invite for a "Q4 Strategy Review" on Thursday.

Host: The Department Head (The big boss who heard me sigh).
Attendees: The Senior Leads, the PM… and me.
I immediately panic-messaged my PM (the one I told to "get to the point" yesterday) asking if this was a mistake.

He replied: "No mistake. [Big Boss] liked your honesty about the timeline delay yesterday. He thinks the rest of the team is too polite to give bad news. He wants you there to call out the BS."
You guys don't understand. I am not a "Straight Shooter." I am just an anxious introvert who was hungry and wanted to eat his sandwich in peace. I don't know anything about Q4 Strategy. I just want to write code and hide.

Now I’ve been drafted as the corporate "Vibe Checker." If I stay silent, I fail the Big Boss. If I speak, I might actually get fired this time.
Currently Googling "How to sound smart without being mean" and considering faking a microphone driver failure.

TL;DR: My accidental insult was interpreted as "Leadership Potential." Now the Big Boss wants me to sit in strategy meetings to roast people. I am unqualified for this.