Employee quits job over an Nvidia RTX 5060 — intern refused to hand in GPU won on an all-expense-paid business trip

Man holding a box of his stuff on the street after being fired

(Image credit: Getty Images)

According to Fast Technology, on November 14, a company in Shanghai sent one of its interns on a business trip to Suzhou to attend an Nvidia Roadshow event. At the end of the function, a stamp-collecting raffle was opened to everyone — essentially a lucky draw — where you could participate to win exciting prizes. Our "victim" signed up for it and ended up winning a brand-new RTX 5060, worth roughly 3000 RMB (~$422).

Graphics cards are typically the most expensive components in a computer. So, when you get your hands on one for free, it's like the universe finally throwing a bone at you, rewarding you for years of kindness and suffering. Then, if that GPU suddenly gets enveloped in a legal feud, you start to second-guess your alliances, shattering loyalties in a moment. Such is the bittersweet ordeal that unfolded in China this past week, where an employee almost lost his shiny new RTX 5060 but ultimately walked away with both the GPU and a story.

That same evening, he was told by a colleague that the finance department had already caught wind of this, and since the company would bear the costs, he should hand in the GPU. Later on, the winner reminisced about how accounts knew of no such thing, revealing that perhaps that coworker was just jealous in hindsight. Regardless, the news quickly spread, and the company became aware of the intern's blessed fortune. You can imagine how things took a turn from this point.

The firm gradually grew more contentious, demanding that the RTX 5060 be handed in because the event it was acquired at was part of a business trip, entirely paid for by the company. The employee would never have won the GPU had the firm not enabled him to attend the venue. Our winner refused, arguing that it belonged to him because he had won it on his own by pure luck. Neither party was willing to step down, and eventually the company's higher-ups got involved, repeatedly questioning him.

Nvidia AD102 Die Shot — (Image credit: Nvidia)

Even though the firm considered the RTX 5060 company property, it ultimately didn't confiscate the GPU. HR then told the intern to "look for another company," and he submitted his resignation that night. Assuming general corporate tendencies, the worker either had to be extremely steadfast or was paid like a typical intern (or not at all), so leaving the company over a $400 GPU was more worthwhile. Though staying without giving up the card might've harbored an even more hostile environment.

Lawyers discussing the case sided with the intern, saying that a prize won by random chance belongs to the person holding the ticket. It doesn't matter whether they were there on behalf of the business; in that moment, the employee wasn't fulfilling his duties when participating in the raffle. Unless the contract or internal rules explicitly address company property matters, in a legal standoff, the employee is in a stronger position.

Netizens agreed with this sentiment, with some mockingly asking whether the firm would've maintained the same tenacity and reimbursed the Internet had he been fined 50,000 RMB at the event instead. At the end, this story serves as a potent reminder to stand up for yourself in a corporate world that seldom sees you as anything more than replaceable.

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Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.

41 Comments Comment from the forums

call101010

What kind of a company that makes all the fuss for $400 ???
Reply
Tanakoi

call101010 said:
What kind of a company that makes all the fuss for $400 ???
What kind of employee does?
Reply
Mindstab Thrull

Tanakoi said:
What kind of employee does?
For two examples: People who don't have a large income such that $400 makes a big difference; and people who care more about doing the right thing rather than the dollar value.
I'm sure there's more but that should be enough.
Reply
Gururu

On principle alone, I think I would quit as well.
Reply
Tanakoi

Mindstab Thrull said:
For two examples: People who don't have a large income such that $400 makes a big difference; and people who care more about doing the right thing rather than the dollar value.
I'm sure there's more but that should be enough.
Your second example is nonsense: the 'right thing' here is to give the card to your employer. If an employee has an unexpected expense as the result of a business trip, you'd expect the employer to cover that, wouldn't you? So why shouldn't they receive the benefit from the converse situation? What if the gift wasn't a video card, but a gift card to cover the costs of attending? Who should get that?

As for the rationalization that $400 is a lot to some people -- it's a lot to some small businesses also. And that the same excuse that people have used to justify appropriation of goods since time immemorial -- "I need it more than they do".
Reply
Elrabin

call101010 said:
What kind of a company that makes all the fuss for $400 ???
If a company is that petty and willing to disrespect me in such a manner, I don't trust them about anything. Not bonuses, not commissions and not any other compensation.

This is a bad company.

And if you're siding with them, I fervently hope you don't have your own business, because I bet you're a terrible boss.
Reply
Elrabin

Tanakoi said:
Your second example is nonsense: the 'right thing' here is to give the card to your employer. If an employee has an unexpected expense as the result of a business trip, you'd expect the employer to cover that, wouldn't you? So why shouldn't they receive the benefit from the converse situation? What if the gift wasn't a video card, but a gift card to cover the costs of attending? Who should get that?

As for the rationalization that $400 is a lot to some people -- it's a lot to some small businesses also. And that the same excuse that people have used to justify appropriation of goods since time immemorial -- "I need it more than they do".
Ridiculous logic. If the intern entered any raffle as an individual and not as a representative of the company, there's no expectation of it going to the company.

I've been going to tech trade shows for decades and never heard of raffle prizes going to the company and not the employee.

If the COMPANY entered the raffle you'd have a point.

As far as unexpected expenses go, I'd expect them to get approved and run on a company card.

"My flight was canceled"
"I had to change my booked rental car"
Etc
Reply
valthuer

This story is a surprisingly revealing snapshot of modern corporate culture. What should have been a light-hearted moment — an intern getting lucky in a raffle — instantly turned into a power struggle over a $400 GPU. The company’s reaction feels disproportionate, driven less by principle and more by entitlement and office politics.

What stands out most is how quickly a workplace can turn hostile when hierarchy and ego get involved. Instead of celebrating an employee’s good fortune, the firm tried to claim ownership of something won by chance, outside the scope of any actual work duties. The legal consensus makes the situation even clearer: the prize belongs to the person who won it, not the institution that paid for the train ticket.

In the end, the intern’s decision to walk away says a lot about the value of dignity over a paycheck. If a company is willing to pressure an employee this hard over a raffle prize, imagine what happens when real stakes are involved. It’s a small story with a big takeaway: sometimes standing your ground is the only way to preserve your self-respect — and to dodge a toxic workplace before it gets worse.
Reply
SkyNetRising

Tanakoi said:
If an employee has an unexpected expense as the result of a business trip, you'd expect the employer to cover that, wouldn't you?
So why shouldn't they receive the benefit from the converse situation?
What if the gift wasn't a video card, but a gift card to cover the costs of attending? Who should get that?
It's not that company cares about employee getting a graphics card.

It's about receiving gifts as company employee from another company, if those companies do any business together.
It's quite common, you're not allowed to receive ANY gifts over certain symbolic value.
This is done to prevent conflict of interests and to prevent preferential treatment (or accusations of preferential treatment), when business deals are getting signed.
Reply
Elrabin

SkyNetRising said:
It's not that company cares about employee getting a graphics card.

It's about receiving gifts as company employee from another company, if those companies do any business together.
It's quite common, you're not allowed to receive ANY gifts over certain symbolic value.
This is done to prevent conflict of interests and to prevent preferential treatment, when business deals are getting signed.
I'm well aware of those types of restrictions, but if it were a company paid event, you'd think that would have been made clear to the intern.

An an engineer, I'm not subject to those restrictions at my company. I have no deal making capability in my role at all. I can't buy or sell things nor sign contracts of any kind.

Our account executives and sales reps are restricted though.
Reply

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