I got laid off last week and I'm still processing everything. This was my first experience with a layoff, and it's been a whirlwind of emotions. The situation wasn't entirely unexpected—my company, a tech startup backed by private equity, had been struggling to meet targets and had clearly over-hired. There was a high churn rate among both customers and employees, and with the rise of AI, the value of our product diminished significantly. The work environment was heavily micromanaged, and there was constant pressure to prove our worth, with an emphasis on AI taking precedence over everything else. We even trained AI to perform our jobs. Initially, I felt sad about the layoff, but then I found a sense of relief. Now, I'm worried about the future, but I still feel relieved that this chapter is over. I've come to realize that I don't want to work in tech again; it's just too unstable and toxic for my liking.