"Tough Period But...": Indian Techie After Being Laid Off During "Out Of The Blue" Town Hall

An Indian techie recently took to Reddit to share their story of being laid off during a startup town hall meeting. In their post, titled "Wanted to share the layoff story of mine which can happen to anyone", the Redditor revealed that the CEO and the senior management announced immediate layoffs during an "out of the blue" town hall meeting, citing financial losses. The techie explained that though they were given three months' salary, the entire process was shocking and "incredibly abrupt". 

"Now that I've landed a new job, I wanted to share my experience during the recession at my previous startup. It was a whirlwind," the Redditor wrote, adding that "one afternoon, completely out of the blue, the CEO and upper management held a town hall and announced 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 following lines, the Reddit user explained that the entire process was "incredibly abrupt" and the "shock was immense" but said they were given three months' salary.

"I even worked until the very last minute, only to have my Git access revoked just half an hour before the layoffs were official," they wrote. "It was so sudden that we had to file a ticket to try and get it resolved. The shock was immense," they continued. 

Further, the techie claimed that the senior management was aware of the upcoming layoffs for a month, and many had already secured new positions before the news was released. 

"It turned out that senior management had known about the layoffs for a month, and many had already secured new positions. It was a really tough period, but I learned a lot and formed some lasting friendships with my colleagues, who I'm still in touch with," they said, before adding, "Now I have a job and never want to work in any startup." 

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Since being shared, the Reddit post has gone viral. In the comments section, several users expressed empathy, while others shared similar experiences. 

"Fully empathise with you but the last concluding sentence is wrong. Layoffs can happen anywhere, including in SBCs. It is not something only startups experience. Gob forbid, There is no guarantee your new company wont do the same to you. Everyone thinks it wont happen to them. Unless work environment is toxic, always exit with a goodwill even if things didn't happen the way you wanted it to. Be always grateful for the learnings & experience and for the people who were good to you," wrote one user. 

"Sailing in the same boat, mate! I would appreciate it if you could refer me to your workplace," commented another. "Happy for you; my advice is not to get bitter over things," expressed another.