With the economy not doing the best, and with many companies reporting lower-than-expected earnings, numerous tech companies responded by announcing hiring freezes or major layoffs, per CNN.
Among the companies laying off a sizable chunk of its workforce is Lyft, which announced earlier in the month that it would be letting go of “13 percent of its employees, or about 650 of its 5,000 workers,” according to the New York Times.
This has left many workers in an awkward position. One such worker is TikTok user Brittany (@brittanyyeh), who claims she was laid off just three days after receiving her welcome package.
The video explaining the event currently has over 870,000 views.
@brittanyyeh #duet with @Brittany Yeh omfg naurrrr lolol #TechTok #layoffs #layoffseason #techtoktips #sftok ♬ Aesthetic Girl – Yusei
For clarity, Brittany says in a follow-up she actually began working for Lyft in March; she only just received her welcome package as the company was back-ordered on one of the items in the package.
Furthermore, she insists that she “only has love” for Lyft and understands the company’s position.
“Obviously, while it’s a bummer, I do not take it personally. I totally get it,” she says. “We’re going into a recession, and, at the end of the day, if they can’t support a certain number of employees, they just have to let us go.”
She also clarifies that her dismissal had nothing to do with the original video unboxing her welcome package.
In the comments section, many users sympathized with Brittany, with some saying they were now in a similar position.
“Lmao uber (not after 3 days tho) did the same thing to me,” shared a commenter. “The rideshare companies are not it.”
“I was part of the coinbase layoffs. I feel your pain,” added another. “Patiently waiting for the hiring freezes/ layoffs to end.”
“It’s a slaughter at small tech too, sincerely me who got laid off from a mid-sized series B fintech company last week,” detailed a third.
However, some said that people in Brittany’s position should, in fact, take these cuts personally.
“Lmao workers not taking it personally is how companies continue getting away with over hiring and then abusing/under-supporting workers,” claimed a commenter.
“Empathizing with companies gets us nowhere,” echoed a second. “They’re not beings, they’re profit driven entities that don’t give a shit about anyone else.”
Update 8:50am CT, Nov. 8: In an email, Lyft directed Daily Dot to its blog post on the recent layoffs.
The blog post explains that employees will receive “10 weeks of pay; Healthcare coverage through April 30, 2023, including access to Modern Health; Accelerated equity vesting for the November 20 vesting date; Recruiting assistance, including coaching sessions on resumes and interviews; Team members with 4+ years with Lyft will receive an additional four weeks of pay.”
“Our priority today is taking care of departing team members, who for many of us are also friends,” the post reads. “To those team members, although we know no words are sufficient, thank you for everything you have done for the Lyft community, mission, and business.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Brittany via email.
