What happens when a machine judges its human operator—and the European Patent Office judges the machine? In this Kafkaesque tale of automation, authority, and rejection, we follow the true story of a patent application that sought to let machines restrict underperforming workers. The result? A bureaucratic spiral through rules, refusal, and relentless logic. Tune in for a chilling retelling of decision T 2619/22, where productivity meets the COMVIK approach—and the system always has the final word.