Facing the Unexpected: Reflections on Being Laid Off

When layoffs happen, it's crucial to remember that it's not your fault. You just have to get back up and forge a new path ahead.

If you would rather watch/listen than read:

Let's kick off this week with a story. It was September 12th, 2001, and I was still in college, working part-time building computers at a small shop. The day before, 9/11 had shocked the world, and everything felt chaotic. The computer shop, already struggling, decided they needed to make cuts, and being the part-time college guy, I was let go. Yes, it was over 20 years ago when people were still building PCs by hand.

Fast forward over two decades, and I found myself laid off again, this time from a startup where I had been the first employee. We grew the company to 50 people, but the Silicon Valley Bank situation hit hard, and I had to let a large part of the team go, including myself. Now, here I am, facing my third layoff in less than two years. It's not something I'm particularly proud of, but it's a reality that many of us face.

When layoffs happen, it's crucial to remember that it's not your fault. The layoff is a result of structural issues within the company—a failure of management that you get caught up in. It's rarely a reflection of your performance. And in most cases, you probably see it coming. Looking back, I can say that I had some inkling in all three instances, though perhaps I was more naive the first time around.

This week has been a bit of a whirlwind, so I'm keeping things light. I do want to share an article I wrote during my last job search and the lessons learned in that experience. I won't spoil the whole thing, but the main takeaway is to treat the job hunt like a job. Put in the work every single day.

Lastly, I want to ask for your help. If you're enjoying this content, please consider sharing and subscribing. Substack makes it easy to subscribe by email, and I want to keep this content free, so feel free to skip over any payment options. Maybe one day, I'll compile all these stories and lessons into a book—a sort of philosophy about life and work.

Also, if you know anyone who's hiring a senior product manager or someone who excels at taking a project from zero to one, I'd love to chat. I'm always happy to spend 15 minutes talking to anyone, especially now that I have some extra free time.

If there's one thing I've learned from my previous layoffs, it's that networking is far more productive than blindly applying to jobs online. This week might be a bit of a bummer, but I've been through this before. It's not something I'm hiding from; it's a challenge I know I can overcome. This is just another opportunity for me to find something I'm passionate about.

We'll return to our regularly scheduled content next week. Until then, have a wonderful weekend.