I recently had a conversation with a friend who was laid off about two months ago from a startup that merged with another company. He had been actively searching for a new job and was receiving interview calls, but unfortunately, he faced rejections in the first or second rounds without any clear feedback. The most common response he received was simply that he wasn't the 'right fit,' which left him feeling frustrated and confused. During an interview on June 17th, he was asked about the reason for his layoff, and he honestly didn't have a solid explanation to provide. The CTO interviewing him acknowledged that he had the necessary skills but expressed a lack of trust due to the layoff, implying there must have been performance issues. This experience highlighted a side of layoffs that often goes unspoken: regardless of the circumstances surrounding a layoff, many employers view laid-off candidates with skepticism. It seems that no one takes into account that sometimes roles are eliminated for reasons beyond an individual's control, especially in the unpredictable startup environment.