Around a month ago, it appeared that the wave of tech industry layoffs might be subsiding, as companies had halted the announcement of large-scale workforce reductions. However, recent developments indicate that this isn't the case. Job search platform LinkedIn recently announced that it would be laying off 668 employees, a decision that caught many by surprise. More recently, Nokia also revealed plans to terminate the employment of as many as 14,000 individuals.
LinkedIn is once again flooded with posts from people who have been laid off and are actively seeking new job opportunities. One former LinkedIn employee shared a heartfelt note regarding her own layoff experience, expressing her sadness about missing the informal coffee chats she had enjoyed with colleagues. She had devoted three years of her career to LinkedIn but, unfortunately, became a casualty of the recent round of layoffs.
Commencing her message on a sombre note, she described it as a challenging day, stating, "Today has been a tough day for all of us at LinkedIn but particularly difficult for me as one of the employees impacted by today’s layoffs."
She went on to recount her "eventful" three years at the company, highlighting her experiences, which included working with three different teams within the data organization as part of the DS rotational program, sharing her journey as a first-generation professional at various HOLA (Hispanic and Latinx Organization for Leadership and Advancement) and diversity events, and cultivating a supportive community of friends, colleagues, and mentors.
Expressing her gratitude to her colleagues and acknowledging her forthcoming separation from them, the former LinkedIn executive wrote, "I want to thank my HOLA family for always giving me a platform to speak my truth and cheering me on during the days I battled imposter syndrome or felt like a Latina data scientist didn't quite belong. Thank you to my incredible mentors and colleagues for all your support. I will miss our coffee chats and honest conversations about navigating the complexities of Corporate America."
A few days prior to her message, LinkedIn had disclosed that it was releasing 668 employees across multiple departments, including engineering, product development, talent acquisition, and finance. These employees received the news via email. Reports also indicated that the day before the layoffs, LinkedIn employees stumbled upon a cryptic list that contained the names of over 500 employees, fueling speculation about the impending workforce reductions within the company.
In a blog post, the company explained, "Talent changes are a challenging but essential and recurring aspect of managing our business. The changes we shared with our team today will result in a reduction of approximately 668 roles across our engineering, product, talent, and finance teams."
