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A classic:

A CEO of a multi-million dollar business has to go on a business trip to Belgium (from somewhere in America). Before going to the airport in the morning with his limousine, he's going to the office first to get some files that he forgot the previous night.

When arriving at the office, the night guard opens the gate & door for him. The CEO gets the files and drinks a coffee while chatting a bit with the guard, and he mentions that he's flying to Belgium today for a deal he cannot miss, it would bring millions of dollars to the business.

The night guard looks shocked, and explains why.

Guard: I just had a dream this night. A plane that would fly to Belgium is going to crash in the middle of the Ocean.

The night guard begs his CEO not to go on this business trip. And the CEO believes him. He doesn't go to the airport and cancels his flight. Later that day, on the news, an air-plane crash... It was the plane that flew to Belgium. It crashed in the middle of the ocean.

The CEO thanks the night guard later and gives him $10.000.
The CEO also tells the night guard that he's fired.

Question: Why did the CEO fire the night guard after he saved his life?

Found it in a book: Raadseltjes, thought I'll share it with you :)

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    $\begingroup$ As the question is answered now, I think you should add the name of the book and the writer somewhere in the puzzle for attribution according to our policy of plagiarism. Same goes for your other puzzle if that too is from any book. $\endgroup$
    – manshu
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 9:30
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    $\begingroup$ This story is part of "Vikram and Betaal stories". Indian kids grew up listening to this story for 100s of years. shortstories.co.in/reward-for-gatekeeper $\endgroup$
    – Amit G
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 12:16
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    $\begingroup$ What about day dreaming? You can dream, still be awake, and would you then still be fired? $\endgroup$
    – Klyzx
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 16:16
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    $\begingroup$ This is an old story. Just that in the version I read, the chowkidaar is the CEO's childhood friend. $\endgroup$
    – cst1992
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 12:10
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    $\begingroup$ @CaelanO'Toole Ooh. Bad spoiler. $\endgroup$
    – Oliphaunt
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 13:41

10 Answers 10

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The guard is fired because:

He had the dream this night, which means that he was sleeping during his shift

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    $\begingroup$ I myself have stood/walked guard shifts... starting some time during the night... being woken before. The riddle makes the unspoken (and therefore uncertain) assumption that all night shifts start before the night commences. $\endgroup$
    – MichaelK
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 10:31
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    $\begingroup$ Also he could have had dual shifts with time for a nap in between. Isn't there something like a lunch break for people on night shifts? Can't possibly be expected to work hungry all night. $\endgroup$
    – mathreadler
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 11:43
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    $\begingroup$ The guard never said that he was sleeping and you don't need to sleep to have a dream (See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daydream). Thus the answer is clever but flawed. $\endgroup$
    – Adnan Y
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 18:07
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    $\begingroup$ While the night guard wasn't doing his job, he was arguably doing a much more important job. It'd be like firing your window washer because he was fixing your broken mainframe over the weekend instead of cleaning windows. $\endgroup$
    – Fax
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 7:47
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    $\begingroup$ @Fax if my window washer fixed my broken mainframe, I might fire him from the window washing but give him a new contract in IT. In this case, I might fire the guard as a guard and give him a contract as an investment banker, but only if it turns out that he can consistently perform clairvoyance in his sleep. $\endgroup$
    – rumtscho
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 11:03
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I am thinking the guard was fired because

the company has gone bankrupt.

Remember the CEO spoke about

a deal he cannot miss.

If this was not an exaggeration on the CEOs part, it may be so important for the company that with the CEO absent from the meeting in Belgium the company is now forced to

file for bankruptcy.

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    $\begingroup$ I'd call that being "laid off" or "let go" though, not "fired". $\endgroup$
    – Captain Man
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 15:06
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    $\begingroup$ So would I, but my ethics teacher didn't. $\endgroup$
    – Joshua
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 16:40
  • $\begingroup$ This doesn't fit with the $10K bonus. $\endgroup$
    – Peregrine Rook
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 6:51
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    $\begingroup$ @PeregrineRook It doesn't say anywhere that the money was a bonus. Neither is it said that it was paid from the company's money. It only says the CEO gave the money to the guard. If anything - that wording would imply the CEO paid it from his own money. $\endgroup$
    – kasperd
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 7:58
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    $\begingroup$ @PeregrineRook If a company fires an employee without notification period, it has to pay them some money for compensation. The sum of $10000 could be this compensation. $\endgroup$
    – JRr
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 10:32
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The guard is fired because:

He opened the door for the CEO but didn't check the CEO's identity documents before opening a door and a gate and giving access to confidential documents.

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    $\begingroup$ Everyone knows the CEO's face. So unless the CEO was John Travolta, in which case you never know if Nicholas Cage will walk in disguised as him, there's no problem $\endgroup$
    – Buttle Butkus
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 4:22
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    $\begingroup$ Unless the CEO had an identical twin who the guard was warned not to trust, so the CEO's face was insufficient identity. $\endgroup$
    – Oddthinking
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 13:28
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    $\begingroup$ In a multi-million company, would you always know the CEO? Unless it's a company with a well-known CEO like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, that is. I for one don't know what the CEO of Adobe looks like, even if I took a job as security guard at Adobe. $\endgroup$
    – diwhyyyyy
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 15:23
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    $\begingroup$ @Inductiveload: On the one hand, if you were an employee of Adobe or any other company, you would probably know what the CEO looked like, because his/her photo would probably be plastered all over internal company communications (policy documents, motivational e-mails, etc.)  On the other hand, they would probably use the same photograph everywhere, and positively identifying somebody on the basis of a single image is risky.  Also, security guards are often not employees of the company, but are contractors, and might not be included in such communications.  … (Cont’d) $\endgroup$
    – Peregrine Rook
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 17:22
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    $\begingroup$ (Cont’d) …  On the third (?) hand, if you’re a security guard in the building where the CEO works, you’re somewhat likely to have seen him in person — especially if he’s the sort of person who is inclined to chat with a guard over coffee. $\endgroup$
    – Peregrine Rook
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 17:22
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Because

The plane crash was due to the pilot having a heart attack. The CEO knew how to fly a plane, meaning that the plane crash wouldn't have occurred if he had been on the flight. He thanks the guard for the warning, but fires him because he thinks the visions bring about themselves.

Or optionally

The CEO was flying in a private jet and would have avoided the crash, completely. Therefore, the CEO got in trouble with the board and had to "fire" the person who cost the company the money. He sneaks the guard some money so he isn't complete damaged by the loss of his job.

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    $\begingroup$ I like both of these, albeit the self fulfilling prophecy is my favorite. $\endgroup$
    – Dessa Simpson
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 1:06
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    $\begingroup$ The self-fulfilling prophecy answer is amazing. Well done, sir... err, duck! Have a +1! $\endgroup$
    – dmg
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 6:37
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Lots of unanswered questions

1. Why was the CEO so friendly with a night guard so as to share with him with a deal that he would not like to miss. These are supposed to be confidential
2. The night guard was a bit affectionate with his boss who is too concerned about him. Dreaming about someone and believing on ones dream and begging to dissuade him to drop his plan is more than a service.
3. The CEO definitely trusts his night guard a lot. Someone who drops a deal that he was vouching on for just a dream of a night guard shows a lot of trust and feelings involved.
4. Nevertheless, the night guard is a male
So CEO was a gay, in love with the night-guard, gifts him $ 10,000 fires him to marry him eventually.

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  • $\begingroup$ Haven't you heard this story? In the story the guard was a childhood friend of the CEO. That detail has been skipped here. $\endgroup$
    – cst1992
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 12:12
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    $\begingroup$ @cst1992: Actually No. And anything skipped should be out of context, right? $\endgroup$
    – Abhijit
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 12:22
  • $\begingroup$ This story is so well known, as @cst1992 mentioned, that these details would be out of context only in the way that a puzzle about Einstein could be answered "Well, we don't know he's a physicist or that he's generally recognized as intelligent." This is just such a common children's story, the "Gaurd and the CEO" story, that some details were left out because, why not? $\endgroup$
    – SendersReagent
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 7:29
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    $\begingroup$ @SendersReagent: Define well known. I have never heard about the story nor I read it when I was a child. So, if it still qualifies as well known, then I rest my case. $\endgroup$
    – Abhijit
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 19:47
  • $\begingroup$ @Abhijit Iz joke. $\endgroup$
    – SendersReagent
    Commented May 6, 2016 at 22:37
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The guard is a terrorist and knew that the plane was to "crash".

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    $\begingroup$ Then why pay him? $\endgroup$
    – Stig Hemmer
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 9:54
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    $\begingroup$ Maybe the CEO is the brain of the operation but doesn't tell the guard from before? :) $\endgroup$
    – Decypher
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 10:54
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    $\begingroup$ @Decypher Then why would the CEO even have been getting on the plane? He would've known. $\endgroup$
    – Captain Man
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 15:07
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    $\begingroup$ It works. The guard was rewarded for warning the boss and save his life. But he was fired because the hypotheses that he knew it from some terrorist relation is more likely that the sheer coincidence of a dream. So it is a "thank you very much but you just lost your security clearance". $\endgroup$
    – Florian F
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 20:55
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    $\begingroup$ This was my first thought. $\endgroup$
    – Dessa Simpson
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 1:04
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Because

the guard is sleeping at night and not doing his duty.

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Edit since I should have learned about the no-spoiler thing on puzzling. If the boss and any higher-ups were in fact pleased with the guards performance they may have acted in this way because:

The guard proved more useful somewhere else and interpreting the warning as sleeping on the shift would provide a good excuse to do so. Giving the correct reason (he did an incredible job) for the firing would likely boost his ego too much to be practical to work with (in the future).

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Because

The guard was a part of a terrorist group that wanted to crash the plane, but as the guard got to know the CEO, he/she began to like the CEO a lot and wanted to save him/her from the crash. Therefore, the guard covered up his/her knowledge of the plane crash that was about to happen by coming up with the fake story of "seeing it in his/her dreams" so that he/she would not get his/her secret identity as a terrorist discovered. After seeing that the plane did, in fact crash, the CEO somehow discovered that the guard was a terrorist, and the CEO felt obliged to thank the terrorist for saving the CEO's life, but had to get rid of the terrorist because he/she was a terrorist.

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    $\begingroup$ This is essentially the same as this answer, from almost two days ago. $\endgroup$
    – Peregrine Rook
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 6:56
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The night guard was fired because he had known about something that could not be known by a human. Therefore, since he had inhuman powers, he was either an alien, or some Satan spawn, depending on religion and/or beliefs of the manager. (I'm basing this on the fact that someone with any sort of telepathy or other odd power is frowned upon by Mennonites, at least that I know of. This is NOT a belief-hating comment, just saying. Just saying.)

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  • $\begingroup$ Could've been a coincidence. $\endgroup$
    – SendersReagent
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 7:24
  • $\begingroup$ True... Very true. $\endgroup$
    – Yeniaul Adrianad
    Commented May 9, 2016 at 23:52
  • $\begingroup$ @SendersReagent but what if it weren't...? $\endgroup$
    – user64742
    Commented Feb 12, 2017 at 4:19

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