'Slap In The Face': Google Techie Laid Off Right After Taking Leave For Mother's Death

A Google software engineer has shared on LinkedIn his heartbreaking experience of being laid off right after his mother's death.

Tommy York, a Google software engineer has shared on LinkedIn his heartbreaking experience of being laid off right after his mother's death.

Stories of woe continue to pour in amid the massive wave of corporate lay-offs globally. One such instance came to the fore on Thursday when Tommy York, a former Google employee, shared his experience wherein he was let go just after his mother passed away battling cancer.

York, a former software engineer at Google, shared a personal account of being laid off last week, describing the experience as a "slap in the face" and highlighting the challenges he faced while dealing with his mother's terminal illness during his time at the company. 

In his post, York shared that he had just returned from bereavement leave after dealing with the death of his mother from pancreatic cancer. He wrote, "It still feels like a slap in the face, like being hit when you're down."

The engineer, who began working at Google in December 2021, said that his mother was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in February of the following year, around the time that he was starting to be put on projects at the company.

York also shared his thoughts on the culture at Google and how it has changed over the years. He said that onboarding at Google is difficult and that it was even more challenging while also dealing with his mother's chemotherapy appointments, moving her in with family, and the last few months of her life. 

He said, "Google's strongest assets are the software engineers who work there. They stay because it's an environment that allows them to grow and thrive. But these kinds of people also value a sense of safety. There's probably some rosy reflection going on, but if the Google that embodied those ideals existed, it's either on its way out or long gone. Culture takes years to build, but breaks quickly and easily."

Despite the disappointment of losing his job, York expressed gratitude for the opportunities he had at Google and the severance package he received. He plans to take February and March off to re-centre, but will start looking for new work in late March. He also urged his LinkedIn connections to reach out to him if they hear of any job opportunities that would be a good fit for him.