‘Leaving a place I called home’: Amazon employee on being laid off after almost 12 years of service

A wave of layoffs swept through the tech industry earlier this year and is still ongoing for many. Among those recently affected was an Amazon employee who, like many others, found himself part of the layoffs at the company. He shared the news of his job loss on LinkedIn just days before completing 12 years with the company.

Reflecting on his departure, he shared, "Today, 30 September, is my final day with Amazon. I am impacted by #amazonlayoffs, and I will leave the company just 17 days shy of my 12th anniversary. I hardly use LinkedIn, and I debated whether to say anything at all. My feelings on being laid off have been a complicated mix of anger, grief, and optimism, but I didn’t see any value in just putting leadership on blast (no matter how cathartic it might have been). Fortunately, I’ve had plenty of time to process my thoughts, and I think it’s worth writing them down here."

He expressed pride in his accomplishments during his time at Amazon and his sadness at leaving behind colleagues. The former Amazonian also confessed to feeling nervous about the uncertainties that lay ahead. He wrote, "The 4 Hour Work Week, for all its (many) flaws, correctly points out that people are more likely to stay in unfulfilling but stable situations than to accept the uncertainty that comes with change. I'm now being forced to change, which is at once frightening and exhilarating."

Regarding his final day at the company, he remarked, "It's bittersweet. I am leaving a place I called home for more than a decade, but I am ready to leave, and I feel pretty good about what comes next. I also stole a bunch of bananas from the office when I dropped off my laptop, and I feel pretty good about that, too."

Amazon's Layoffs in Perspective

Last year, Amazon made headlines by letting go of 18,000 employees across various departments. In January of this year, news emerged that Amazon was selling some of its empty office spaces as part of cost-cutting measures.

Subsequently, the company announced yet another round of large-scale layoffs in March. Amazon revealed its decision to terminate the employment of 9,000 people globally, impacting employees from AWS, PXT, Advertising, and Twitch.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, in a blog post announcing the second round of layoffs, described it as a 'difficult decision.' He stated, "As we've just concluded the second phase of our operating plan ("OP2") this past week, I'm writing to share that we intend to eliminate about 9,000 more positions in the next few weeks—mostly in AWS, PXT, Advertising, and Twitch. This was a difficult decision, but one that we think is best for the company long term."

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