Open Letter to Workers Getting Laid Off in 2025
Thoughts from someone who's been laid off before but lived to fight another day
If you’re one of the many unlucky few working in tech who just lost your job as part of the massive layoffs, here are some thoughts from someone who has been laid off three times in the past. (Yes, three times).
First of all, losing your job really hurts. It’s embarrassing. It’s okay to feel that.
The first time I got laid off, it was the day before Thanksgiving on the same week that I bought my very first house. I “celebrated” Thanksgiving with my wife and brand-new baby boy as the proud owner of a new home I now couldn’t afford since I was officially unemployed. Let’s just say it was a pretty grim holiday.
The second time I got laid off, I had to walk past my coworkers at the office with all my things in a little cardboard box. It was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life. I wasn’t the first person to get the axe that day, but that didn’t make me feel any better. People were hugging and crying, and it was a sad, chaotic, confusing mess.
The third time I got laid off, I once again took the walk of shame past my friends, this time holding an even smaller cardboard box. Some of my coworkers didn’t even know layoffs were coming, so they stared at me, bug-eyed with confusion, as I packed up my tiny coffee maker, said goodbye, and walked out the door.
I sat in my car with the engine off, unsure of what to do. A profound sense of meaninglessness hit me as I realized that I had nowhere to be and nothing to do.
My schedule was now completely clear… and it was only 11:00 am on a weekday.
I pounded the steering wheel of my Honda Pilot in anger and confusion. It was just me, crying, in the driver’s seat and my mini Mr. Coffee in the passenger seat, staring back at me.
How could this happen?! Three times?!
Fool me once; shame on you.
Fool me twice; shame on me.
Fool me three times; I give up completely and need to rethink my entire life.
Losing your job is depressing, confusing, and dehumanizing. It can make you feel completely unmoored like you’re now floating aimlessly in the ocean without any direction.
What comes next? Where do you go? What do you do now?
What I did was start my own business, so this couldn’t possibly happen a fourth time. Whether that’s in the cards for you or not, here are three very important things you should keep in mind.
#1: They never cared about you in the first place
Seriously, unless you were fired for cause (and I mean real “cause” like fraud), your losing your job has almost nothing to do with you and everything to do with them.
Your company was never loyal to you. Employees mean very, very little to their employers.
No matter how often these giant companies say dumb things like: “It’s our people that make the difference,” they don’t believe it.
They never did. They’re proving this to you with their actions right now.
My father-in-law has been a plumber for his entire adult life. He has a “recession-proof” job if there ever was one. During the pandemic, he was definitely an “essential worker.” Yet even he has been laid off throughout his career, more than once.
Many years ago, “Pop Pop” and I were discussing our experiences of losing our jobs, and he shared some words of wisdom with me that I have never forgotten:
“If you want to quit your job, your employer will always expect you to give them at least two weeks of notice. But if they want to lay you off, they’ll fire you in a heartbeat, without notice. Somehow, they act like this is totally fair.”
He’s absolutely right: it’s a one-way street, and it’s extremely hypocritical.
Also, to the people who have ever thought (or who have been told): “We’re like family here” — that’s a complete and utter lie, too.
I should know: the first time I lost my job, I was laid off by a family member. Not even my own family was above laying me off!
(Note: I don’t hold this against them. We’re all good. I’m just pointing out that even literally “being family” won’t save your job if a company isn't financially solvent.)
#2: It’s their fault, but you're the one paying for it
To save money, employers (large companies, especially) will often try reducing their workforce first. As unbelievable as it sounds, employees are actually the most flexible part of their business model.
It’s the quickest-acting lever they can pull. The best way to slash costs is by reducing their payroll as drastically as they can, as fast as they can.
But here’s the thing: none of this has anything to do with you or even your job performance. It’s just the natural fallout of the (often poor or hasty) decisions they made in the past, and now the chickens are coming home to roost.
Did they hire too fast? That's their fault, but YOU will suffer the consequences.
Did they hire too many people? That’s also their fault, but YOU will pay the price.
Did they hire the wrong people? Even if YOU are one of those “wrong people” they hired, it’s still their fault.
I’m not trying to be fatalistic here; I’m trying to reassure you that in many (or most) cases, it’s just the harsh reality that when you work for a big company with hundreds or thousands of employees, you are entirely at the whim of higher-ups and the mercy of decisions and guesses they made six months or a year ago.
Companies are like giant ships: when they start sinking, it’s every man for himself, and the people in positions of power are going to make sure you lose your job before they lose theirs.
There’s nothing you can do about that.
Again, I know that’s cold comfort when you’re suddenly unemployed, but it should help alleviate the blame you might feel for not being able to “see it coming” or “do something” about it.
Relax: You never had that power in your hands in the first place.
#3: You should consider starting your own business
This is probably not at all what you had in mind, and the thought of it might even anger you, but if you unexpectedly find yourself without a job yet have in-demand skills, this is actually the PERFECT time to ask yourself if you want to become self-employed.
If you have a severance package, you get major bonus points. This can give you enough runway to get something small off the ground. As I like to remind people all the time: you just need ONE client to have a business.
Every business that has ever been started in history started out with just one customer, then two, then three, and so on. Even giant corporations like Apple and Safeway started out with nothing, got one customer to start, and built from there.
When I started my first business after getting laid off almost 18 years ago, I was totally broke. I literally had no money at all. I didn’t even get severance pay: I was just handed a check and told, “You’re paid up to today. Don’t come in to work tomorrow.”
I started my business out of necessity and had no cushion at all. If you have a cushion, you’re already in a far, far better position than I was in.
If I could do it back then, I really feel like you can do it now.
Finally, I love to remind people about the fact that if you’re self-employed, you can’t get laid off ever again!
If you’re tired of working hard to help other people build their businesses, knowing you can be kicked to the curb at any time, you should take hold of the reins of power!
If you become your own boss, YOU control your own future. There’s a lot more I could say now, but you’re probably still reeling from the shock. I know. I’ve been there, and I’ve felt it.
But let me sign off with two final things:
First, you CAN do this. I believe in you.
Second, I am happy to help in any way I can.
Call me at (520) 422-7796 or email me at ron@liederdigital.com if there’s anything I can do.