Layoffs

Carousell laid off 10% of its total headcount in December. While I wasn’t laid off, the layoffs has had more of an emotional impact on myself than I would have expected.

What I found unexpected is how gutted I feel on behalf of those who got laid off. Whenever we think of layoffs, we probably think about it from a self-centered perspective. We think about it from our perspective and how we would feel if we got laid off. We don’t think about how it feels to not be laid off, but have your friends and colleagues be.

It sucks, and it sucks more than I thought it would. There are so many talented people being let go, whether they’ve been around for 6 months or 6 years.

There’s a noticeable drop in mood across the company. It sounds obvious to say, but it’s one thing to imagine it from a place of safety and another to experience it. I can’t quite place the emotions being felt, it’s probably a combination of worry for our own job security, guilt at being lucky enough to avoid the layoffs, and a plain emphathetic response on behalf of those laid off.