Everyone has a different comfort level about sharing details about their personal lives with coworkers. While some are open books, others prefer to keep their private life private.

One man takes his privacy to a level some may consider extreme. He says he never wants his coworkers to know what kind of car he drives.

DeAndre Brown (@imdrebrown), a self-described “corporate baddie” who splits his time between Houston and New York, shared what he calls a lesson in navigating corporate America.

“You see how the location I’m going to is all the way over there?” Brown says in a recent TikTok, pointing toward a nearby building.

Brown appeared to be parked several blocks away from his destination. According to him, that was intentional.

“If you have to drive to work, always park very far from the location,” he says.

Brown says that is especially important if you drive a nice car like his Mercedes-Benz.

His reasoning? Coworkers do not need to know what you can afford—or make assumptions about your finances based on your ride.

“You want them to think you have nothing,” Brown says.

He argues that information about an employee’s lifestyle can eventually work against them, including when they are trying to land a raise or promotion. In Brown’s telling, someone could look at an expensive car and assume that person is already doing just fine financially.

“You want them to think you don’t have a single dollar,” he says. “That’s what you need them to think.”

As of this writing, his video has more than 1.2 million views.

Can Your Car Really Cost You A Raise?

Brown’s theory makes for a memorable workplace rule. But no federal law requires employers to ignore signs that an employee is financially comfortable when deciding what to pay them.

There are, however, limits on what can legally drive compensation and promotion decisions.

Federal employment law bars employers from making decisions about pay, promotions, and other terms of employment because of protected characteristics, including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, and genetic information, according to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Of course, driving an expensive car is not one of those protected classes.

That does not necessarily mean Brown is wrong that appearances can shape how coworkers perceive someone. It just means his specific claim—that a company might decide an employee does not “need” more money because their car suggests they are already well-off—is not something his video proves.

Pay decisions can also depend on factors that are much more directly tied to the job. The US Department of Labor’s guidance on equal pay, for example, considers factors such as the skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions involved in the job.

The EEOC also makes clear that compensation extends beyond base salary. Bonuses, overtime, benefits, and other forms of pay can all fall under federal protections against discriminatory compensation decisions.

So Brown’s parking strategy is better understood as advice about keeping personal finances private at work than as a way to guarantee a bigger raise.

Gallery: 2027 Mercedes-AMG A 45 S Final Edition

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Source: Mercedes-Benz

Viewers Say Coworkers Notice More Than You Think

Many viewers thought Brown was onto something.

“People watch and pay too much attention,” one commenter wrote.

Another joked that the strategy might need to go beyond where you park.

“Oh, I should probably buy some cheap glasses too, huh?” they asked.

Brown replied, “Yes diva.”

Some viewers said they had seen coworkers fixate on signs of money themselves.

“Someone at my hospital went through the trash to look at my DoorDash receipt to see how much I spent so, yea, he not lying,” one person wrote.

Another commenter described a much more pointed experience in tech.

“I worked with a bunch of white men in tech. I was the finance person. I had a BMW. I was not only the only Black [person], but a woman. One guy asked me how was I driving a $75k car? Was I married to a drug dealer?” she wrote.

She said she reported the remark to an executive vice president, who transferred the employee to another office.

Another viewer said simply wearing designer clothing or “looking expensive” can create problems at work, “Especially being Black…”

But not everyone agreed with Brown’s strategy.

“I park my Benz right next to my supervisor. I want them to know I don’t need them,” one commenter wrote.

Another pointed out an obvious wrinkle in Brown’s advice: “They know your salary.”

And one viewer questioned the wisdom of sharing his strategy publicly.

“So why would you post this?” they wrote.

Motor1 contacted Brown via TikTok direct message. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.

 

 

 

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