An Indian techie shared their experience on Reddit about being laid off unexpectedly during a startup town hall meeting due to financial losses. Despite receiving three months of salary, the sudden announcement left them shocked and feeling betrayed, as senior management had known about the layoffs for a month and many had already found new jobs. The Redditor recounted the abruptness of the situation, including losing Git access just half an hour before the layoffs became official. While they had a tough time, they formed lasting friendships and have since secured a new job, expressing reluctance to work at startups again. The post sparked a wave of empathy and shared experiences from other users.
A tech worker from India recently took to Reddit to recount their experience of being laid off during a town hall meeting at their startup. In a post titled “Wanted to share the layoff story of mine which can happen to anyone,” the Redditor disclosed that the CEO and upper management unexpectedly announced immediate layoffs, attributing them to financial setbacks. The techie shared that while they received three months’ salary, the overall experience was both shocking and “incredibly abrupt.”
“Having now secured a new position, I felt compelled to share my experience during the recession at my previous startup. It was quite a whirlwind,” the Redditor noted, adding that “one afternoon, completely unexpectedly, the CEO, along with senior management, conducted a town hall meeting to inform us about immediate layoffs due to financial losses.”
Wanted to share the layoff story of mine which can happen to anyone
byu/batman-iphone indevelopersIndia
In the subsequent lines, the Reddit user elaborated that the entire ordeal was “incredibly abrupt” and the “shock was immense,” although they did receive three months’ salary.
“I even worked right up until the very last moment, only to have my Git access revoked just thirty minutes before the layoffs were made official,” they recounted. “It was so abrupt that we had to submit a ticket to attempt to resolve the access issue. The shock was immense,” they added.
Furthermore, the techie mentioned that the senior management had been aware of the impending layoffs for a month and that many had already found new jobs before the news broke.
“It emerged that senior management had known about the layoffs for a whole month, and several individuals had already secured new positions. It was a challenging time, but I gained valuable insights and forged lasting friendships with my colleagues, with whom I still maintain contact,” they shared, concluding with, “Now I’ve started a new job and have no desire to work for another startup.”
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Since its publication, the Reddit post has gained significant attention. In the comments section, numerous users expressed their sympathy, while others recounted their own similar experiences.
“I completely empathize with you, but the closing statement is misguided. Layoffs can occur in any company, including established businesses. It’s not an experience exclusive to startups. Heaven forbid, there’s no assurance your new company won’t face the same situation. Many believe it won’t happen to them. Unless the work atmosphere is toxic, always leave on good terms, even if circumstances didn’t unfold as you had hoped. Be thankful for the lessons and experiences, as well as the people who treated you well,” commented one user.
“In the same boat, my friend! I would greatly appreciate it if you could refer me to your workplace,” wrote another. “I’m happy for you; my advice is to avoid becoming bitter about things,” another commenter expressed.