Amazon layoffs: Indian-origin software developer cut after 11 years, stays positive, says ‘how you react very important’

Laid off from Amazon after 11 years at the tech giant, Indian-origin software engineer Hemant Virmani is using the opportunity to enhance his AI skills and reflect on his career, according to a report by Business Insider.

Speaking to the publication, the 47-year-old software developer said that, as one cannot change the past, how we respond going forward is very important. He added that a major inspiration for this mindset came from his high school-age daughter, the report added.

Based in Washington, United States, the company laid off Virmani in Amazon’s October cuts, but he has not given up. He told the publication he is taking the time to upskill and learn artificial intelligence (AI) tools, while applying for new jobs. He is also more focused on his health.

Laid off by Amazon after nearly 12 years: ‘Part of my life, gone’

According to Virmani’s LinkedIn profile, he was employed at Amazon for a little more than 11 years, starting as a software development manager in Hyderabad, and working his way to Senior Manager, Software Development. Prior to this, he spent 11 years at Adobe,

Speaking about being informed about the decision, Virmani said he had seen colleagues cut in 2023, but his own news also came as a shock.

But his teenage daughter taught him the biggest lesson in moving forward. The takeaway? “Now I’m applying to jobs and working on upskilling in AI so I can be proactive, not reactive, to the tech industry. Only time will tell if this layoff is a blessing in disguise, but for now, it has led to a refreshing change,” he stated.

‘Daughter taught me to take the layoff positively’

Virmani said he initially “felt attached to the layoff”, but learning from how his daughter reacted to her own adverse situation was an inspiration.

“Her mental model was: ‘Challenges don’t have to keep me from showing up for myself or for others.’ Her positive attitude was inspiration for me to do the same,” he said.

On what’s next, Virmani is focused “less on the size or name of the next company, and more on what I’d be doing there”.

“I’m looking forward to hopefully heading the engineering for something that has a great impact on customers. Right now, I don’t think that can be done without AI, so I’m working on upskilling. I’m learning new AI skills I didn’t have time to harness at Amazon,” he told the publication.

Adding, he said, “I want to be proactive, not reactive, about the AI skills I’ll need in the future. I started working on a hobby AI project a couple of weeks ago… It’s been different, and a refreshing change, to build something myself rather than to study it, read about it, or work on a team developing it. I’m applying to jobs and focusing on my health.”