“Get laid off with me.” So read the closed captions of a recent TikTok post.
“My boss just put a 15 minute sink on my calendar,” creator @mbraindump said in the now-viral post. “I can’t believe this is really happening. Getting laid off, okay, here we go.”
It is a sinking feeling that’s sadly familiar to myriad workers.
In just the past week, thousands have fallen victim to mass layoffs at Amazon, Target, Paramount, CBS, and other large companies. After Amazon laid off 14,000 corporate employees last week, or 4% of its white-collar workforce, a number of workers started cropping up on social media to document their experiences.
The trend of documenting being laid off first emerged post-pandemic and gained traction as mass layoffs hit in 2023 and 2024. Now it is back, as a fresh wave of workers joins the ranks of the unemployed.
“Pretty sure I’m about to get laid off from my 9-to-5 right now, so come with me to my meeting,” one TikTok user posted in late October. The video has over 670,000 views.
“Day in my life as a software engineer, except I got laid off before I could finish it,” another posted around the same time, which has almost 250,000 views.
Rather than posting a LinkedIn update, being laid off is now lucrative content. On TikTok, the hashtag #layoffs has almost 60,000 videos. Many of these riff off the ubiquitous “Get Ready With Me (GRWM)” genre of content, in which creators showcase their hair, makeup, or outfit while chatting about their inner lives or zeitgeist-y topics. Some, like @mbraindump, go on to turn unemployment into a content series post-layoff.
In an era of mass unemployment, layoffs are no longer seen as an individual failing. Instead, they are an unfortunate fact of life. For many, it’s not their first rodeo. Some are on their second—or even third—layoff in just one year.
Amid the job losses, a new culture around layoffs has emerged. As more layoffs have hit in the past year, the stigma has lifted. Studies have shown that employees are more disengaged than ever, making them more inclined to hold their employers accountable, even on the way out.
@mbraindump’s video has received hundreds of comments of support and solidarity since it was posted. “I’m so sorry. This sucks. These companies really don’t view us as humans. Something has got to change. Sending you a hug!” one person wrote. “Living in this constant state of anxiety at your job is AWFUL. My God, they couldn’t have made this any less humane,” another commented. “I’ve dealt with 2 layoffs within 12 months. I am really sorry you’re in the club now,” a third commiserated.
Of course, filming and posting workplace meetings to social media—for former and future employers to see—does come with some risk. It could give hiring managers pause, or even put severance packages at risk.
And while watching others get laid off online might help destigmatize the process, it certainly doesn’t make it any easier when a call with HR gets added to your calendar.