Solutions for When Managers Hijack Your Code?

Chiggy_Von_Richtoffe asks: "Two friends of mine work at a warehouse distribution center. First, they are customer service representatives, not paid developers. Secondly, the are developing the software in their spare time to make their jobs easier using MFC and HTML. Their bosses have already talked up the idea behind their backs, and then came back to them with a deadline to release the (in-house) software, on a national level. However, they haven't had time to release their first version, and the bosses don't even know what the software can do nor even what it looks like. There is a feeling that the bosses may pat them on the head and run with the software for their own promotions. What should they do?"

Comments

What should they do?

[Threni]

"What software?"

they should

[jessecurry]

work on the code;
make sure that it is known that the code is not meant for release, but is just an aid in their work;
include some serious backdoors into the code;
???????;
profit!;