Episode
Day in the Life of a Laid Off Big Tech Engineer
- Published
- Mar 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 417
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Summary
Hello world. Not long ago, I was a senior software engineer in Big Tech, part of an industry that once felt like the unstoppable engine of the modern economy. For more than 25 years, my days were structured around product launches, sprint cycles, code reviews, and the comforting illusion that there would always be another project waiting on Monday morning. Then came an unexpected change in employment status. These days I describe myself, with only mild irony, as an involuntary early retiree . And like many people who suddenly find themselves outside the machinery of corporate life, I’ve been experimenting with a new challenge: how to structure a day that feels productive, meaningful, and only slightly like I’m turning into a house cat. The Morning Ritual My day begins early, as all respectable adults’ days do with a heroic march into the bathroom followed by fifteen minutes of doom scrolling on the toilet. Markets. Layoffs. Wars. The usual morning news. Eventually my legs fall asleep, which is nature’s way of telling me it’s time to brush my teeth and attempt to resemble a functioning member of society. Next comes coffee. Not just drinking coffee, staring deeply into coffee , waiting for the caffeine to reinstall my operating system. At some point, Leonard the cat appears demanding emotional support. His sister remains asleep somewhere in the house, contributing absolutely nothing to household productivity which, if we’re being honest, probably makes her the most successful member of the household right now. Exercise and Existential Sunrises After coffee comes thirty minutes of exercise: treadmill, weights, and the vague sense that unemployment is supposed to be the moment when one finally gets into the best shape of one’s life. Out the window, the sun rises. It’s beau…