It might seem shocking, yet it was wholly unsurprising.
Conte, of course, has a history of falling out with his employers over player recruitment, but this is very different.
We are not talking about reserves or bit-part players here either. As well as cutting wages by 15-20 per cent, Inter s owners, Suning, informed Conte that they also have to make a €90 million (£77m/€110m) profit in this summer s transfer window.
That means Lautaro Martinez, Romelu Lukaku, Achraf Hakimi, Alessando Bastoni, Stefan De Vrij, Nicolo Barella and Skriniar are all on the market.
Conte has received some criticism for walking away, with Inter icon Beppe Bergomi admitting that while he understood the coach s frustration, he would have liked to see him stay to steady what looks like a sinking ship.
More than that, though, it is a victory for Antonio Conte; vindication of his footballing philosophy and confirmation of his status as one of the finest coaches of the modern era.
The man who put Juve back on their perch, after Calciopoli, has knocked them off it in just his second season at San Siro.
Consequently, while Conte still has his critics, and some of the allegations levelled at him are valid, nobody can now dispute his greatness.
He is right when he says Inter was the ultimate challenge for him, the most difficult choice he could ever have made.