Polish businessman Piotr Szczerek is the co-founder and CEO of paving company Drogbruk. However, he and his company got the publicity he never would have wanted. Who knew one tennis cap could put a ‘cap’ on his company’s profits?
Polish CEO Szczerek has become a meme and the face of “what not to do” during the 2025 US Open. After the game, cameras caught him snatching a signed cap from the hands of a younger fan named Brock.
It started after Poland’s tennis star Kamil Majchrzak signed his cap and raised his hand to give it to the young boy in the crowd. And then, just like a Disney villain, Szczerek swooped in and took the cap, leaving Brock hurt and confused.
It didn’t go unnoticed as the camera caught everything, and people around them started to get angry, too. The video went viral within hours, and viewers condemned Szczerek as selfish and entitled.
Just as Majchrzak realised what had happened, he asked the internet for help and to find the little boy. The sportsman and his fan reunited quickly, and Majchrzak gifted him another cap and memorabilia. This definitely softened the blow of rudeness from an adult for Brock, but the damage to Szczerek’s reputation had just begun.
Polish tennis player, Kamil Majchrzak meets the boy whose cap was stolen at the US Open, and gave him another one along with an autograph. pic.twitter.com/mOw8jDVx1D
— The Immortal (@TheImmortal007) August 31, 2025
It was not only his act of simple cruelty that had put this Polish CEO on blast among the internet community, but also how he acted afterwards that made people feel the hatred more.
The clip went viral almost immediately. Nothing brings people closer than hatred, and hatred towards an entitled CEO could almost bring world peace.
Soon after the clip spread, there were alleged statements that were said to have been released by Szczerek in response to the backlash. In these alleged statements, he had attributed the whole saga of the autographed cap to being present in the moment and “first-come, first-served.”
This definitely sounded like some red-pill logic one learnt from the online “grindset” of alpha male mentality, and the internet has had this spew of nonsense.
No one even checked if Polish CEO Szczerek released this statement. These words along with his actions had fueled the fire.
Many Tennis fans accused him of arrogance, while some claimed he threatened legal action against online critics.
There was no official apology or clarification from his company, Drogbruk. This delay just left room for speculation and grounds for rumors to fester. This silence allowed criticism to gain speed and created a narrative that the CEO did not care.
The online response was brutal. Szczerek was instantly branded as the “Coldplay kiss-cam CEO.” This was in a mocking reference to another infamous viral moment a few weeks back, where a married CEO was found on camera with his alleged mistress.
It did not take long for people to find out who he is and where he worked, and after that, hashtags ran wild. There were calls to boycott his company across all social media platforms, and he became the internet’s latest villain.
You underestimated the hatred of cheating, and rules against dating fellow coworkers & conflict of interest.
Astronomer CEO Andy Byron & Chief People officer Kristin Cabot knew if they had employees caught same as they did. Repercussion.
They would’ve fired them on the spot. pic.twitter.com/DuzDw09Mfj
— Anya Faye (@Rikoveno) July 20, 2025
The incident was not about a tennis cap but about the entitlement that comes with money while the general public struggles for a morsel of comfort, something they very well deserved.
Drogbruk felt the ripple effect almost immediately. Negative reviews appeared on consumer review sites like GoWork and Trustpilot. Though the reviews were mostly written by people who have had no engagement with the company, its rating fell drastically, and all that was left of the company name was its relation with the US Open.
This has painted the company as dishonest and untrustworthy.
For Szczerek, there is a very small window to gain back public support, depending entirely on how he responds. Not responding will not work. These are not the days when the public forgets or forgives CEOs so easily.
Polish CEO Piotr Szczerek’s company review bombed after taking child’s hat at @usopen. Users on Polish forums labelled him “embarrassing” and a “thief,” with Drogbruk’s rating drop to 1.1 in trustpilot. He needs to pay the price for what he did. pic.twitter.com/ufGNDbYTHB
— Pengu Aaron | Network School | ∞ᛤ🐧 (@AaronTing8) August 31, 2025
Szczerek needs to release a sincere apology, make charitable gestures, or make a direct attempt to reconcile with Brock’s family. Otherwise, the internet’s memory and its tendency to amplify scandals might just follow him and his company for years.
This episode is the prime example of how a moment, an impulsive act, when magnified on a giant screen, can escalate so fast, so far that it can change lives and livelihoods.
