The bar for ending a relationship with basic human decency has apparently dropped low enough that someone decided to make it a job.

Dating.com is hiring its first-ever Chief Breakup Officer, a part-time, fully remote position paying $3,000 a month to someone whose entire job is ending other people’s relationships for them. The role covers everything from six-month situationships that never quite became official to long-term relationships that have been over in all but name for years. The CBO delivers the news, takes the heat, and handles the part the person who hired them couldn’t bring themselves to do.

The reason this job needs to exist comes down to one statistic. 84% of adults say they’ve been ghosted at the end of a relationship. Dating.com’s resident therapist, Jaime Bronstein, LCSW, says the number reflects a problem most people have encountered personally. “People have never enjoyed tough conversations; modern technology has made it easier to avoid them,” she told VICE. “The statistics show us there is a problem with tough communication, emotional responsibility, and accountability.”

The immediate question is whether a CBO is meaningfully different from ghosting, or just another version of the same avoidance. Bronstein says they’re not equivalent. Ghosting leaves people suspended in uncertainty, constructing narratives about what happened and waiting for a message that never comes. “When a CBO is involved, the one on the receiving end gets some closure and information that could help make the process easier and more certain than being kept in the limbo of silence and hope,” she explains.

As for what drives people to outsource in the first place, Bronstein points to emotions most people recognize. “Ending conversations comes with a lot of negative emotions that people have not been trained for, including guilt, fear of being the bad person, and anxiety,” she says. Technology gave those feelings a much easier exit. “Being avoidant in conflict is not new — it is just the way we communicate that has changed. Today, our communication is all on screens, which makes it easier to pause or delay tough conversations.”

There’s also the question of what a third-party breakup does to the person receiving it. Bronstein acknowledges that ideally, the conversation comes directly from the partner. “The information would feel more respectful and could bring them closure if it came directly from their partner,” she says. But silence, she argues, is worse. For someone who can’t face telling the other person, a CBO may be the only alternative to permanent uncertainty.

Whether using one actually forces someone to reckon with their own avoidance is less clear. “Outsourcing does not mean letting go completely,” Bronstein says. “It could be a sign that you need to work on your communication skills to take emotional accountability seriously. For others, it could be a form of avoidance. The outcome depends on whether they take responsibility for their role in the relationship.”

At $3,000 a month, the CBO is being paid to do something most people would rather do almost anything to avoid. The job exists because enough people have been on the receiving end of silence to know that’s not a solution.