AbbreviationsLoud182's journey

I recently learned that my company is planning to lay off between 25–45% of its employees, which has left me feeling quite anxious about my job security. I’m a junior AI Engineer and just transitioned to a full-time role a couple of weeks ago after starting as an intern about 7 months back. During a conversation with my team lead, I found out that our AI team, which currently has 10 members, is expected to shrink to about 5. My team lead assured me that he submitted a list of employees he wants to retain, and I’m on that list, which is comforting. However, the ultimate decision lies with the CTO and CEO, which worries me. Although I’ve received positive feedback and have taken ownership of several key projects—specifically, I’m responsible for 3 out of 6 projects that make up the company’s internal AI infrastructure—there’s still a significant concern regarding severance costs. If the company lays off most of my teammates, they would incur substantial severance costs for them, while I, as a recent full-time hire, would receive nothing. This makes me a cheaper option to lay off, despite my contributions. I genuinely enjoy my work and was excited to start my full-time career here, but the uncertainty so soon after my promotion is stressful. I have several questions swirling in my mind: How much does a team lead's recommendation weigh in during layoffs? Do severance costs play a significant role in decisions? Does my ownership of multiple projects improve my chances of being retained? Am I more vulnerable as a recently promoted junior employee? And finally, is there anything productive I can do at this point, or should I just continue working normally while preparing for the worst? I would appreciate insights from anyone who has experience with layoffs or from engineering managers.