Is the "folding" really the kid's fault though? You said he was fast on a single plate and it looked good twice, so the skill was there. The thing that broke him was the 14 top plus allergy tickets, and that's not something you fix by practicing single orders harder. In my experience the rush falls apart because of setup and timing, not hand speed. Did he have his mise ready for mods, or was he running to the walk-in every time a ticket needed something swapped? A lot of kitchens throw a new cook on saute and never teach them how to read the whole board and work in waves. He needs to learn pace and prep more than he needs to be faster.

Wow, did he ever try a data recovery place or just give up?

Wait, a kid picking your comics "broke your brain"? Isn't that just you getting bored with your own taste after 22 years? Sounds more like a you problem than some big life lesson.