Sam Amico
Getting laid off really stinks and sometimes it feels like the scariest thing that might happen to you. After all, suddenly your income and career are gone — at least temporarily.
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Google, for instance, recently underwent a massive round of layoffs, becoming just one of the recent tech giants to make major cuts. Needless to say, many of those impacted were stunned.
Some even shared their experiences on social media.
That includes former Google employee who goes by Nicole and runs @nicolesdailyvlog on TikTok.
“The Google layoffs were not how I expected to start off 2023, but I know it’s only up from here,” she wrote in the caption of a clip that has more than 4 million views.
Nicoles Daily Vlog on TikTok
@nicolesdailyvlog The Google layoffs were not how I expected to start off 2023, but I know it’s only up from here 🥲 #techlayoffs #googlelayoffs #techgirl #corporatelife #techvlog #dayinmylife #techlayoffs2023 ♬ Flowers – Miley Cyrus
When Nicole was trying to find out if she was among the 12,000 layoffs, she checked with her boss — who she claimed told her to just check her email.
“I called my boss back and we just sobbed over the phone because she was also finding out about my layoff for the first time today too,” Nicole said.
So, yes. It happened.
That’s when she broke out a line that compared being laid off to a game of Russian roulette. For some Google workers, it may really have felt that way.
“I think the worst part is that it seems like no one was consulted on this decision and everyone was just finding out about the layoffs at the same time,” Nicole said. “It felt like a really bad game of Russian Roulette and there was no consistency around who was let go.”
In other words, many of those who either still work at Google or were laid off felt the entire process was incredibly random. And it likely was.
“We’ve undertaken a rigorous review across product areas and functions to ensure that our people and roles are aligned with our highest priorities as a company,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a note to employees announcing the layoffs.
“The roles we’re eliminating reflect the outcome of that review. They cut across (Google parent company) Alphabet, product areas, functions, levels and regions.”
