eBay’s cyberstalking fiasco is a case of employee engagement gone horribly wrong

It's definitely possible to be too into your job.

Engaged employees are a wonderful thing. They make workplaces more productive and more profitable. They boost morale and perhaps entertain their children with hilarious, detailed bedtime stories about what happened in meetings that day. They sleep with their phones right next to their beds, so they can subconsciously absorb any emails that come in while they’re asleep, and wear dress shoes with their pajamas in case an important client shows up in their dreams. When they rise at dawn, they look at themselves in the mirror, quivering with excitement and energy, saying, “Lo, anyone who besmirches my company’s name is my sworn blood nemesis! May swarms of live cockroaches and pig fetuses rain upon them!”

Sounds a bit over the top, you say? Plotting the downfall of mere mortals who dare to criticize your boss isn’t part of your ideal job description?

Humph! It seems you do not have the passion for your work that distinguishes people at eBay—or at least, one group of former employees on the e-commerce giant’s global security team.

Read the rest of this story on qz.com. Become a member to get unlimited access to Quartz’s journalism.