Szczerek, identified as the CEO of the Polish paving company Drogbruk, later defended himself on the Gowork forum. He acknowledged taking the hat but dismissed the reaction as excessive.
“Yes, I took it. Yes, I did it quickly. But as I’ve always said, life is first come, first served,” he wrote. He also warned that offensive online comments against him could lead to legal consequences.
The response online has been strongly critical. Users on Polish forums labelled him “embarrassing” and a “thief,” with Drogbruk’s rating on Gowork dropping to 1.4 after thousands of negative reviews.