Hi, it's my first time posting here but I'm having such a dilemma I thought that perhaps I should ask Reddit. I'm a junior staff and have been working at my company for about 3 years. Although I'm still junior, my company is big on giving equal opportunities to all instead of honoring only the hierarchy. Recently, I was told by management that I was going to lead a project outside of my department. It's a massive project that impacts almost every product line. It's a huge opportunity, but it's also weird to be fronting a project that rightfully should belong to another department. I was confused and asked why me, and then management went on to tear into the other department. "Their work is bad and I don't want any of them near this." They also mentioned how many other partners had raised complaints about the quality of their work. I asked if it made sense for me, since I'd have to start from zero. They said it'd be fine since nothing had been confirmed yet, and they'd follow up with more details once they're confirmed. I also asked why no one had raised the work quality issue to them directly before. They said their boss had been informed, but apparently doesn't pass along the feedback, so the team has been assuming their work is well-received. Fast forward to this week. A colleague of mine from this department found out and confronted me. He asked why I was chosen and not him or anyone else from his department. I told him I didn't know why, because I thought it wasn't my place to share the actual reason. Somehow, his response was to tear into me, telling me I didn't have the skills, I wasn't qualified and that I had no right to lead a project like this. But the thing is, I do know the reason why. I just feel like I'd be the asshole if I straight up told him that their work isn't received well. On the other hand, it does feel unfair that he's blaming me for it instead of management, and he has a right to know the feedback which his boss has been hiding from them. WIBTA if i disclosed to him the real reasons?