&gt; Rather than worrying about whether they can do this, you should be wondering, &quot;Where did I screw up that relationship?&quot;<p>Yeah, well, the OP might have screwed it up, or K might have successfully backstabbed the OP.<p>Offering the back end team one&#x27;s own team members is a selfless act.  I&#x27;ll wager it&#x27;s not the only way that the OP has demonstrated a commitment to the success of the project.  A healthy organization recognizes such a commitment and rewards it with increased influence at the very least (ideally, with increased compensation as well).<p>This is not a healthy organization, and the OP can&#x27;t fix it.  It&#x27;s time to leave.