How did 'Xooglers' react to Google's decision to cut jobs
What's the story
The layoff drive in the technology industry has refused to spare anyone. Earlier this month, Google joined the ranks of tech companies that fired their staffers in a bid to cut costs.
Google parent Alphabet's decision to axe 12,000 employees turned many people's lives upside down. This led to an outpouring of emotion from affected employees.
Anger, gratitude, optimism, and uncertainty... there was everything.
Context
Why does this story matter?
With tech companies laying off employees in fear of economic uncertainties and looming recession, it is essential to understand how to cope with being fired unexpectedly.
Google's decision to lay off employees has affected seasoned veterans to top performers. Some have termed the layoffs "random."
Understanding how fired employees reacted gives us a rare insight into how different people cope with unfortunate events.
Reaction
Xooglers took to social media platforms to express themselves
'Xooglers' (former employees of Google) took to various social media platforms, including LinkedIn and TikTok, to express how they felt about being part of the mass layoff.
One reaction that stands out for its optimism amid chaos is of Castell JR Barnes, a former scale lead in global content distribution and partnerships at Google.
Barnes addresses his LinkedIn post to his "fellow US-based Xooglers."
Golden 12k
Barnes calls axed employees 'The Golden 12k'
He calls the 12,000 who lost their jobs "The Golden 12k." According to him, the name suits the axed employees because although they didn't make it through the current round of "macroeconomics + restructuring," they "gained tremendous experience and left behind an undeniable body of work."
"We also made it through rounds of recent uncertainty," he said.
"These are wins!" Barnes added.
Recharge
Reset and recharge before your next career move
The next message from Barnes is something that everyone going through these uncertain times must take to heart.
He wants his fellow "Golden 12k" to stay optimistic. "Find time to reset and recharge before our next career move," writes Barnes.
According to him, that could be a simple walk, working out, spending time with family, and even taking a long, relaxing breath.
Sad
Spent most of the day crying: Former Google employee
While Barnes shared his optimism, other Xooglers showed us a different side of being fired. Nicole Tsai, a former program manager at Google, said the layoffs "just felt like a really bad game of Russian roulette."
The Xoogler said that she spent most of the day crying after finding out that she was axed and visited Disneyland to lift her somber mood.
No gratitude
I'm devastated. I'm sad: Xoogler
Blair Bolick, a former recruiter for the business intern program at Google said, "I can't feel gratitude in this moment for a company that I gave so much of myself to, but felt it appropriate to part ways by locking me (and 12,000 of my colleagues) out of my corporate account at 4 am."
"I'm devastated. I'm sad, angry," she added.
Temporary setback
Being fired from the job is a temporary setback
No matter how much salary one draws, layoffs are a scary prospect. However, it is an opportunity as well.
The feeling of anxiety, self-doubt, and sadness when you lose your source of income, stability, and a part of your identity is understandable. But you have to remember that it is a temporary setback.
As they say, this too shall pass.