A group of permanent employees who had already spent enough years at a company to have become so strictly protected by employment laws, that no matter what they do they can't be fired. Instead they are kept on board with pontless tasks. While they think they matter a lot to their employer they are rather just nuisance to everybody, especially to the motivated workforce.

Abbreviation for “Dude Arguing Online”.

Plural: “DAOs”

Coined by Twitter user @karakittel.

A group of permanent employees who had already spent enough years at a company to have become so strictly protected by employment laws, that no matter what they do they can't be fired. It is cheaper for any employer to keep them on board with fake tasks than to fire them.