Laid Off at 50—And Finally Free: The Story Behind the Tech Layoffs We Ignore
Laid Off at 50—And Finally Free: The Story Behind the Tech Layoffs We Ignore For the past two years, headlines have been relentless—mass layoffs, hiring freezes, entire teams wiped out overnight. The latest wave saw tens of thousands of employees cut from major tech companies. We scroll past these numbers quickly. Thirty thousand jobs lost. Ten thousand more next quarter. Another “restructuring.” But behind every number is a life. This is one of them. The Making of “Raj” Raj (name changed) did everything right. He graduated from a top university in the 1990s and followed a well-trodden path—joining an IT services firm like many of his peers. Within a few years, he was on a plane to the United States, working on projects across the Midwest, building both a career and a future. Over the next decade, he climbed steadily. New roles, new companies, better pay. He got his green card. He got married. Eventually, he moved to the Bay Area—the epicenter of ambition. T...