I'm pretty sure I found the reason why James was fired. It is pretty clear and obvious. Flashback to early 2014: James '2GD' Harding and the GD Studio start planning the TI 4 EU Hub. They want personalities. They want progamers. But what else do they need to become successful? They come to a conclusion: for them to take the next step they have to become someone else. Something else. They need some fresh meet. It's still early 2014. It's a saturday night. 1:24 AM. 'JAMES,' Bruno yells through the house, waking up everyone else in the process, 'I just have found what we need. Whom we need. Meet Jess.' Both men, enthralled by her beauty, decide to invite her to the TI 4 EU Hub. Invite her to become the host. Fastforward to May, 2014. The EU Hub starts. Bruno is excited to finally meet his crush of the past few months: Jessica Brohard. But shortly after her arrival something becomes crystaclear to Bruno: James didn't take the hints. He just doesn't understand. Jess was Bruno's way out of the miserable and lonely life he was leading. She was his sun. She was his moon. She was the stars on his nightsky. Though he had not bad intentions and not a clue about how his friend Bruno felt, James started getting quite close to Jess. It was clear now, that they'd become a thing. RyanEditor found them holding hands on the couch. They did everyday things together: the dishes, bringing up cats, acommodating their guests. Bruno was boiling inside. He had a complete meltdown, where he started to tell random stories to a fictional friend whilst he was lying on a couch in the morning.
It was soon after that, he hatched a plan. He would not take that injustice. Jess was his, not James'. But how could he get revenge? Could he do that? 'Yes, I can' he thought, twirling his mustache. 'I most definitely can'. And now he began with his plan. First a call to Valve, to get a job there. To leave a hole in the GD Studio, which shortly after that fell apart completely. And to leave a hole in James' unassuming heart. He didn't know he'd done anything wrong. He never wanted to do anything wrong to his best friend Bruno. He would've never been able to grasp the lengths Bruno would go through to get revenge.
Fast forward to early 2016. Bruno reclines in his deskchair. He is ready. The plan is in full motion. No RedeYe or Chobra would host the Shanghai Major. No, as a favor to his friend he would have James '2gd' Harding have host the event. James was ecstatic. Finally working in Dota2 again. Working side by side with his best friend Bruno. Finally enjoying some time with him again after he shut himself off 2 years ago. He could not wait.
It's February 26th now as Bruno sits in his chair in Shanghai. One again twirling his mustache. In his lap? A subdued Jess. She is his now. He made sure of that. On the other side of the table? James. Completely baffled by what Bruno had done. He hired him just so he could be the one to fire him for ridiculous reason. To show off how happy he was with Jess now after having her end the relationship with James. James' memories of that times are not of the fond kind. He was destroyed by her leaving. He removed himself from the Dotascene. From the eSportscene alltogether. He buried himself in cheap whiskey, work and eastern european hookers. Now he knew why she had left him.
A manic laugh brings him back to the present. He's shocked. Appalled. How could his friend do this to him? 'Why Bruno,' he said, tears forming in his eyes 'why? Tell me. I never wanted to hurt you' Bruno just looks at him, pitty in his eyes. But also a darkness James had not seen before 'You took away from me what was to be mine. Now I'm going to leave you with nothing'. 'I'm sorry James' says Jess 'but the Subbutton and all the twitchviews? They're worth it. I might even get to do the interviews at TI6. It's not you... it's me.'
2 hours prior a proud man full of life had walked into that office. Out came a broken man. A man with nothing to lose. With nothing in his hands. Thousands of miles away from home he has no idea what to do. 'It's over' he whispers under his breath...
This would be my idea of what has happened.