The man who didn’t invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

[benjipwns]

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-16/flamin-hot-cheetos-richard-montanez

For the last decade, Richard Montañez has been telling the story of how he invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The world has been eating it up.

It goes like this: He was working as a janitor at Frito-Lay’s Rancho Cucamonga plant when he dreamed up a chile-covered Cheeto and believed in himself enough to call up the chief executive to pitch his spicy idea.

Corporate backstabbers tried to sabotage Montañez for stepping out of line, but he out-hustled them, driven by a hunger to succeed. Flamin’ Hots became a runaway hit, and Montañez rose through the ranks and became an icon.

Montañez has built a lucrative second career out of telling and selling this story, appearing at events for Target, Walmart, Harvard and USC, among others, and commanding fees of $10,000 to $50,000 per appearance.

His second memoir, “Flamin’ Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man’s Rise from Janitor to Top Executive,” is out in June from an imprint of Penguin Random House.

A biopic based on his life, to be directed by Eva Longoria and produced by Christian super-producer DeVon Franklin for Searchlight Pictures, is set to begin filming this summer. Both the book and the movie were sold after bidding wars — Montañez’s story is undeniably hot.

There’s just one problem: Montañez didn’t invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, according to interviews with more than a dozen former Frito-Lay employees, the archival record and Frito-Lay itself.

“None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin’ Hot test market,” Frito-Lay wrote in a statement to The Times, in response to questions about an internal investigation whose existence has not been previously disclosed. “We have interviewed multiple personnel who were involved in the test market, and all of them indicate that Richard was not involved in any capacity in the test market.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate Richard,” the statement continued, “but the facts do not support the urban legend.”

Cancel culture claims another one.

[Quaker]

That's odd, there was an NPR episode with this guy a few days ago.

https://www.npr.org/2021/05/12/996228628/hot-cheetos

[Joe Molotov]

No offense, but why would anyone want to see a biopic about the inventor of the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto? It’s not like he invented Baja Blast.

[Great Rumbler]

Stolen valor

[Pissy F Benny]

this you Joe, mate?

[Joe Molotov]

Yes.

[Propagandhim]

[creating the idea for flamin' hot cheetos]....appearing at events for Target, Walmart, Harvard and USC, among others, and commanding fees of $10,000 to $50,000 per appearance.

This belongs in the late-stage capitalism thread.

[Joe Molotov]

[creating the idea for flamin' hot cheetos]....appearing at events for Target, Walmart, Harvard and USC, among others, and commanding fees of $10,000 to $50,000 per appearance.

This belongs in the late-stage capitalism thread.

some guy: *takes a bong hit* "what if cheeto, but hot?"

everyone:

[Pissy F Benny]

Yes.

sick ink bro