David Wallace is Dunder Mifflin's CFO who was introduced in the second season of The Office. It was unknown how much of a role Wallace would play in the Scranton branch's life but he ended up having a larger impact than expected. As the regional manager, Michael looked up to David and wanted to do right by him.
But as nice of a guy as David Wallace was, he didn't always make sound business decisions. In a world that is going paperless, Wallace did his best to make Dunder Mifflin relevant but suffered from time to time.
He's Great: He Gave Michael Space To Be His Own Kind Of Manager
The one thing that David has going for him is that he's not a micromanager. In charge of a large corporation, David is far too busy to worry about the day-to-day activities of his regional managers and their branches. A man like Michael needs guidance, of course, but the last thing he appreciates is to be told how to manage. Luckily for Michael, David gave him the space to be his own kind of manager and appreciated his unique managerial style because Scranton was the only branch doing well. No matter how many rules Michael broke, David had faith in his company.
Should Have Been Fired: He Was Far Too Relaxed With Michael's Sexual Harassment Joke
As lenient as David Wallace was with Michael and the Scranton branch, he was too relaxed at times. A shining example of Wallace's leniency was on Valentine's Day. When Michael goes to corporate for a budget meeting, Michael tells the other regional managers that he was sleeping with Jan (even though they didn't sleep together yet). Michael's "joke" ended up being exposed to both Jan and Wallace.
Considering Wallace took over for a man who was just fired for sexual harassment, he should have handled this situation more seriously. Michael should have at least been suspended. Instead, he was given a slap on the wrist and shown out.
He's Great: He Did The Right Thing Replacing Holly
Michael was devastated when David Wallace removed Holly from Scranton and placed her in Nashua. Holly was Michael's best friend and girlfriend. He finally met his match and was happy that he had both a girlfriend who respected him and a job he loved. Sadly, after seeing them kiss, David moved Holly for the safety of the company. He couldn't have another Jan and Michael situation on his hands. That relationship by itself practically tore down the company and landed them in a lawsuit. It was sad for Michael but the right thing for the company.
Should Have Been Fired: Not Only Did He Hire Ryan Howard But He Re-Hired Him Again After His Arrest
Ryan Howard has always been a snake but no one thought he had the gall to commit fraud after being promoted from a salesman. After he was fired and arrested, fans thought that was the end of Ryan Howard. Shockingly, he came back around when Michael hired him as a salesman for the Michael Scott Paper Company.
After MSPC took Dunder Mifflin's clients, David offered to buy them out. Michael, however, made it clear that Ryan had to remain a member of the team, or else the deal was void. David had no choice but to rehire Ryan back, which was a dumb decision from the CFO of a failing paper company.
He's Great: He's Full Of Ideas
David Wallace didn't become CFO out of luck. He's obviously intelligent and a good businessman with a lot of good ideas. He got the marketing team to come up with an innovative Commerical, ran with Michael's Golden Ticket idea, and more importantly, he created Suck It.
After Sabre absorbed Dunder Mifflin and fired David, he put his energy into being a stay-at-home dad. After letting himself go, he thought of a vacuum of sorts that would suck up children's toys for a quick clean-up for parents. As odd of an idea as it sounded, the military ended up buying his idea for $20 million, making him even wealthier than he was!
Should Have Been Fired: Asking Michael To Do His Dirty Work
The problem with David is he knows how impressionable Michael is and uses it against him. He knows Michael would do anything to please him and has asked him to do some pretty ruthless things for the sake of the company.
In "Prince Family Paper," David asks Michael to go undercover to find out who Prince Paper's clients are. In "The Whale," he gets Dwight to do his dirty work by pitching to The White Pages because he didn't want to deal with Jan. When Dunder Mifflin is in trouble, Wallace seems to have no problem throwing people under the bus.
He's Great: He Wants The Best From His Employees
On the flip side, as many times as David has asked his employees to do his dirty work, he's done more nice things than mean. Instead of suspending Andy or firing him for getting angry enough to punch a hole in the wall, he sent him to anger management before returning to work because he cared about the well-being of his employees. David also sent Andy and his son away to a camp where they could become more decisive in their decision making. He even allowed Ryan to hold a wilderness retreat where some of the workers could bond. As annoying as Dunder Mifflin employees can be, David cares.
Should Have Been Fired: Dunder Mifflin Has Been Suffering Ever Since He Joined
Whether it was because Dunder Mifflin wouldn't change with the times, or because they were a paper company, or because David wasn't the man for the job, Dunder Mifflin was in ruins by the time Saber acquired them. There have been more than five branches that have closed since David joined; there have been countless sexual harassment moments; there has been fraud... Dunder Mifflin has been crumbling for years and it's shocking he bought the company back from Sabre after talking to Andy. In a time like this, fans wished there was a crossover with a show like Parks & Rec. so Leslie could help David sort it out.
He's Great: He's Personable For A CFO
It doesn't matter if it's in real life, TV, or the movies, CFOs of large corporations are typically portrayed as intimidating figures who don't have time for the "smaller" people. David Wallace, on the other hand, has a different take on the job. He takes the time to listen to his employees and tries to understand them before moving on from an issue. He doesn't pull a Charles Miner and list orders before storming out of the room. In an odd way, David does treat his employees like family... Just distant family members.
Should Have Been Fired: He's Far Too Lenient
Does David Wallace give his workers too much wiggle room? As much as he supports and trusts Michael (and the Scranton branch), maybe he's too loose with them. He didn't fire Dwight when he performed a fake fire (which gave Stanley a heart attack). He didn't fire Andy after leaving work for three months. He didn't fire Michael for outing Oscar or kissing him in without consent in front of other employees. There comes a time where David should have made some changes within the company to stay afloat but he drifted from Scranton and focused on other branches.