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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/Double-Conflict2107 on 2026-01-01 18:39:05+00:00.
This happened last week and I’m still not sure if I should apologize again or just let it die.
I was in a meeting with a coworker I don’t work closely with very often. We were discussing how to approach a project that’s been dragging on forever, and I proposed a change that would shift some responsibility off my plate and onto his team. Not intentionally malicious, just… convenient for me.
I explained my idea, gave my reasoning, and then stopped talking. He nodded slowly and didn’t say anything.
My brain immediately interpreted this as agreement.
So I kept going.
I outlined timelines, deliverables, even said something along the lines of, “Cool, glad we’re aligned.” He still didn’t interrupt me, just nodded and took notes.
Later that day, I got an email from his manager asking why I had told my coworker that his team had already agreed to take on additional work. Apparently, he hadn’t been agreeing, he’d been processing and planning how to push back without starting a conflict in the meeting.
Now it looks like I steamrolled him and misrepresented his position. I apologized to him directly, and he was polite but very clearly annoyed.
I have learned that silence does not mean yes. Sometimes it means “I am deciding how to deal with you.”
TL;DR: Mistook silence for agreement in a work discussion and accidentally volunteered someone else’s team for extra work.