This 2017 Company Retreat Was a Legendary Calamity

Corporate bonding doesn't usually involve E. coli, fire ants, and a porcupine in one's room—but Plex's big off-site wasn't your usual retreat. In a piece for the Wall Street Journal based on interviews with six people who were there, Ellen Gamerman reconstructs "Plexcon 2017," a half-million-dollar Honduras getaway for the 120 fully remote employees of free streaming platform Plex. It unraveled almost immediately, starting with the CEO getting violently ill with E. coli (despite warnings not to eat veggies there, he was craving a salad) just as the buses of staffers arrived.

The Survivor-themed week was supposed to feature lighthearted contests and beach time; instead, a former Navy SEAL had them Army-crawling on the beach in 100-degree heat; one staffer ate a dead tarantula to win a challenge. From there, the mishaps piled up: power and water failures, undercooked food, sand fleas, and a group stuck overnight on a nearby island after two of their small planes didn't make it out before dark. Yet nearly a decade later, those Plex employees say the disastrous trip was "still one of the most fun trips ever." Read the full story for more wacky details.