I went from wedding DJ to Meta engineer, then was laid off after 13 years. My last years there brought constant change.
A former Meta engineer shares his experience of being laid off after 13 years of service, reflecting on the company's shifting priorities and culture. He discusses the challenges of navigating corporate restructuring and the impact of AI integration on his workflow.
Why it matters
This personal account highlights the human impact of the 'do more with less' corporate trend and the volatility of long-term tech careers.
Henry Chen spent more than 13 years at Facebook and Meta before being laid off in May. Henry Chen Henry Chen went from wedding DJ to Meta engineer before being laid off after 13 years. He taught himself to code, rising from conference room technician to tech lead. Chen shared how he's navigated his job search since being laid off in May. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Henry Chen, a former Meta tech lead who was laid off in May. He's 38 and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. The following has been edited for length and clarity. After I left college, I worked as a DJ for a few years, taught myself to code, and eventually found my way to Facebook. I started at Facebook as a contractor in 2012, and then worked my way up into a full-time engineering role.
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