“He would be so embarrassed if he knew I was writing this..."
Microsoft Faces Backlash After Viral Post Reveals Longtime Employee Was Laid Off by Algorithm one day before His Birthday
Microsoft Faces Backlash After lay off latest news: Microsoft recently announced it is laying off nearly 6,000 employees — about 3% of its global workforce — marking its second major round of job cuts.
The layoffs drew widespread criticism after a Reddit post by the wife of a laid-off employee went viral, The Times of India reported.
“My husband was laid off from Microsoft by an algorithm — after 25 years. His last day is his birthday,” the wife wrote in the post.
She described her 48-year-old husband as autistic and living with multiple sclerosis. Despite his health challenges, he was deeply loyal to his job at Microsoft — never missing a day of work, rarely taking sick leave, and even working from home when unwell.
He volunteered to take on-call shifts during Christmas and Thanksgiving so coworkers with children could spend time with their families. He never asked for a promotion but consistently showed up and solved problems many thought were impossible.
In a heartfelt part of her post, she wrote, “He’s won awards for fixing multi-million-dollar bugs. He’s mentored hundreds of coworkers, including some who went on to lead teams and divisions. Even the CEOs knew his name. And yet he was let go — by a spreadsheet.”
She added, “He would be so embarrassed if he knew I was writing this. He’s proud of keeping a stiff upper lip and not making a fuss. But I couldn’t let him leave without someone hearing the story.”
The post concludes with a powerful reflection “I don’t need pity. I just need someone to know what this world does to the people who give it everything — quietly, consistently, and without ever asking for more.”
The viral post has sparked a broader conversation on the emotional toll of layoffs, the dehumanizing use of algorithms in corporate decisions, and how years of dedication can be disregarded without compassion or acknowledgment.
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