Layoffs At Meta - My Personal Thoughts

Hi Reader,

Here are my personal thoughts on the recent layoffs at Meta and across the tech industry.

Background
On Sunday the 6th November 2022 the WSJ leaked an article saying that on Wednesday Meta was going to be announcing mass lay-offs.

This sent shockwaves through the org on a Monday morning with barely anyone understandably able to concentrate or do any work. Some people don’t like to pay attention to leaks and rumours, others like to focus on work to distract themselves.

Lay-offs
Relying on external information about your future is not nice, and the uncertainty is what’s really the worst thing about it, waiting days for an email about your future.

People should know as soon as possible what’s going on, so they know how to pivot and react, leaving people in the cold is really not nice.

Never A Good Way
One thing I would say is there’s never a “good way” to handle lay-offs, it’s really about making the most of a bad situation here.

Knowing Your Self-Worth
The most wholesome message I received throughout the week was phrased “This hasn’t impacted my self-worth, I’m an excellent researcher, it’s Meta’s loss if I have to go” - this mentality is something we should all aspire to, knowing how good we are and backing ourselves regardless of what happens.

Moving Forward
Working the first few weeks after is hard, you’re not sure if your team will still exist, teammates you’ve worked with have been told they’re being let go and these are the last few weeks you’re going to be seeing them again.

All of this is outside your control, it’s practically luck, it’s not based on how well you’ve been performing and how good you are as an individual.
You have to clear your head and move forward, there’s always something to learn to go forward with new opportunities always arising.

Feeling Grateful
It’s just a job at the end of the day and new opportunities and journeys lie ahead in our lengthy careers.

We may have families to support, visas at risk, bills to pay, but things can always be worse and there are bigger problems people face day to day.

I’m lucky that I’m in very good health, one of the most important things, the same thing with my family and friends, I’ve got a roof over my head, I’ve got a lot of experience to find a new job.

Wrap-Up
As investor Michael Batnick says, "some lessons have to be experienced before they can be understood." We are all victims, in different ways, to that truth.

I’m now travelling through Vietnam and Taiwan for 3 weeks, taking time off to relax, learn and reflect on the year.

Take Care,
Furquan

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That’s all folks!