My CTO just left me 2 angry voicemails...
michael_dorfman: Sorry, I hate to be that guy, but....wtf?Today, I screwed up and left my phone at home while I went out for dinner. We had some work that needed to be done, but I thought it wasn't due until the morning (miscommunication on my part). When I got home, I had a couple of missed calls and two really angry voicemails.My CTO told me he had expected me to finish my work earlier and that I was irresponsible. He pretty much yelled at me and had a few cuss words to throw in.You were in a high pressure situation, you fucked up, and you got "pretty much" yelled at.  What did you expect?  A pat on the back?  The CTO was factually correct: you were irresponsible.Put yourself in his shoes: work that needed to be done wasn't done at the time it should have been (due to your mistake), and he had no way to get in touch with you (due to your leaving your mobile at home while you went out for dinner.)Believe it or not, what you do matters.  If you fuck up, there are going to be consequences for the company, and the people who have their lives invested in the company aren't going to be particularly happy about it.In conclusion, I'd say: your instinct was absolutely correct when you called him back to apologize.  You fucked up, you got yelled at.  Sharpen up, and try not to do it again.