Over a decade ago, my employer announced layoffs that would happen in waves. Every few months another round arrived. Nobody knew the criteria, who would be affected next, or when. The uncertainty was exhausting and took a toll on everyone. This week, Xbox announced a similar plan, and it brought those memories back.
Fifteen years ago, the company I worked at announced 38,000 layoffs that would happen in different stages. That was a nerve-wracking experience. They started with 10,000, then months later another 8,000, then months later another 9,000... You never knew the criteria, how or when they would happen.
What I remember from then was the angst of not knowing what was going to happen. The figurative sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, and the helplessness of it all. I don't wish that feeling on anyone.
At one point, adding layoffs, early retirements, and turnover, they reached the magic number of 38,000. When asked if layoffs would stop then, the explanation we received was that the target referred to layoffs, not overall headcount reduction. So layoffs continued while hiring accelerated.
During that period, many teams were involved in onboarding and training new employees and contractors, even as layoffs continued. Two weeks after training the new contractors, nearly my entire department was laid off, including myself. Only one person per project remained.
It was the last batch of layoffs from the original 38,000 they had announced.
My wife was 6-7 months pregnant. We lost our main source of income and the health insurance right at the moment we needed it the most. The company gave me a severance and offered $2,000 for not coming back in two years. I was interviewing internally so I rejected it. In hindsight, that was a mistake.
The internal process was rejected after going through a few good interviews. I never received an explanation. So my only option was taking a severance that was shorter than what it could have been, and looking for a new job.
But that was then.
It was a hot job market for software developers, and I was lucky to get interviews within weeks, a couple of offers in a matter of a month, and start a new job in 2 months.
Today, the situation is different.
This week, Xbox announced 3,200 layoffs. About half took effect immediately, while the remaining cuts are expected to happen over the next 12 months. No one knows when, who, why, or how. And, from experience, delayed layoffs like this are tough. An unnecessary burden.
The current job market for software engineers is... "interesting." While during my layoff I wasn't especially worried about finding a job (it was more of a matter of "when" than "if", and we had a baby waiting around the corner), the Xbox layoffs (as many of the current layoffs) come at a time in which "when" or "if" are blurry. There are jobs... but they are tougher to get and come with many conditions and changes.
Layoffs are always painful. But spreading them over months, creates a different kind of burden: uncertainty. It builds angst and stress that no one should have to endure, and that doesn't help anyone. Not the people who leave, and not the people who stay.
To all impacted, I'm sorry you're going through this. Best of luck to everyone.
Top comments (11)
Delaying layoffs isn’t strategy—it's cruelty by uncertainty. Either give a real plan with criteria or stop treating people like chess pieces.
That contrast between the job market back then and the market today is the most brutal part of this. Bouncing back with a couple of offers in a month or two used to be the standard safety net for a skilled software engineer. Today, the hiring market is so slow and broken that a 12-month slow-roll layout is terrifying. It forces people into limbo where they can't confidently plan their lives, knowing that finding the next gig could take half a year or more.
The last time it happened around me, I told my boss's boss it felt like the Hunger Games. Something like "just fight between until one stays standing" Those massive layoffs in waves are the best way to kill productivity and trust.
All I can say is we must always hope for the best but also be smart enough to prepare for the worst. To anyone currently experiencing this, don't let corporate shifts ruin your composure. At the end of the day, it is still up to us in controlling our own reactions when faced with problems. Good things will come, good things will come.
Thank you for sharing such an excellent post. I really enjoyed reading it.
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Hey Alvaro, you're one of the most consistent cross-posters I've seen: everything on dev.to points back to alvaromontoro.com. How does that pipeline work today, by hand or something you built? I'm researching that exact blog-to-platforms problem before writing any code, so I'd genuinely like to hear your real setup.
Hi Alvaro Montoro.
Thank you for sharing this. As someone who is still in the early stage of my career, posts like this are very valuable to me.
Many people talk about layoffs only with numbers, but your story shows the human side of it. The uncertainty you described sounds incredibly difficult, especially with a baby on the way. I can't imagine how stressful that must have been.
It also made me realize how much the industry has changed. Even for people starting their careers today, there is a lot of uncertainty, and hearing experiences from people who have gone through challenging times helps put things into perspective.
I really appreciate your honesty and your willingness to share these memories. There is a lot that younger engineers like me can learn from people with your experience. I hope to keep learning from your posts and stay connected in the future. Thank you again for sharing your story.
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