What's The 'You Have Been Promoted' Meme? The TikTok Trend From 'Boss And CEO's' Hilarious World Explained

A meme video from TikTok with an aggressively corporate woman saying, "You have been promoted! You are now one of my elite employees!" has gone viral. In it, the famous character Boss and CEO from TikToker MainlyMannie is at her best.

Lots of meme creators are hopping onto the growing trend, using Boss and CEO's over-enthusiastic promotion as a template for their content. There's a greenscreen template of the scene on CapCut, quickly gaining usage as an exploitable.

So, where did the "You have been promoted" meme come from? How are the memes manifesting on social media? Plus, who is Boss and CEO? Let's explain.

What's The Original 'You Have Been Promoted' Meme Video?

The original video was posted earlier this week by TikToker @mainlymannie. In it, a woman in a blue pantsuit is seen talking to the cameraperson, telling them about how she fired someone, resulting in the excited delivery of, "You have been promoted! You are now one of my elite employees!"

Ultimately, the video is a parody of the average person's boss, playing with the disingenuine excitement of corporate promotion. The skit asks, "Why should I be excited about being an 'elite employee' if that means I'm just picking up trash?"

Who Is 'Boss And CEO' On TikTok?

Boss and CEO is the name of TikToker MainlyMannie's (@mainlymannie) alter-ego who's the epitome of a corporate higher-up. She wears a blue pantsuit, glasses and a pearl necklace. She's often too excited and curt when talking to her lowbie employees.

MainlyMannie created Boss and CEO back in 2021. Since then, she's become his most successful character, going viral on multiple occasions like in March 2023. Boss and CEO videos have become widely used reaction videos and images on other sites like Twitter / X.

What Are Some 'You Have Been Promoted' Meme Examples?

Since the video's virality, meme creators on TikTok have object labeled the video, adding captions that give it context. Popular examples include jokes at the expense of HR departments and senior executives who give small raises and throw pizza parties instead of promotions.

Other meme examples use a greenscreen template that replaces the background of Boss and CEO's video. Using the greenscreen is smart because it gives the meme a different setting, allowing the text caption to be much stronger.

Memes and videos that follow the template often do not make jokes about the corporate world at all. Instead, the idea of being "promoted" is used in other contexts, like bringing one's younger sibling to a bar once they're old enough.

How To Make A 'You Have Been Promoted' Meme

The best way to make a "You have been promoted" meme is by downloading the video shown below. After saving the video, go into TikTok or Instagram Reels and add text. In your text, you can make a joke about being "promoted" where the humor is based on Boss and CEO's over-dramatic excitement.

For the full history of "You have been promoted," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.