A former Amazon employee inadvertently recorded her layoff while making a ‘day-in-my-life’ video for TikTok. She explained that she was attempting to film a Wes Anderson-style work-from-home video, but instead captured the moment she was laid off.
The ex-employee, who goes by the name Jennifer Lucas, used to work with the e-commerce giant as a recruiting manager. Originally, her TikTok explains that she was going about her morning routine before logging into work and discovered that she has been laid off after checking her email.
Lucas shared on LinkedIn about her being one of the 9000 employees laid off by Amazon in March. She also wrote that she had joined the company in 2015 in HR and had worked her way up to become a recruiting manager. She mentioned that she often joked with family and friends about ‘now what?’ after attaining her goals of being promoted to L6 and becoming a manager, and now that same question loomed large in reality. Lucas also shared about her experience in a social media post.
In March, Andy Jassy, CEO, Amazon, announced a second round of layoffs aimed at cutting 9,000 jobs. Jassy acknowledged that it was a tough decision but said it was necessary for the company’s long-term benefit. These layoffs came on top of the 18,000 jobs that had already been eliminated a few months prior. It was the company’s strategy to streamline its operations and ensure long-term viability that led Amazon to reorganise its workforce, resulting in the layoffs of many employees, including Jennifer Lucas. The company faces fierce competition from other tech giants, necessitating such steps. This also highlights the challenges and uncertainties that come with working in the tech industry.
