- TikToker Nicole Tsai posted a video labeled a "day in my life" getting laid off from Google.
- She said she woke up to find she'd been locked out of emails, and "sobbed" on the phone to her boss.
A woman who posted day-in-the-life TikTok videos about her job at Google used the same format to tell her viewers she had been laid off from the company, going viral in the process.
On January 22, TikToker Nicole Tsai shared an upload that began with the on-screen caption, "A Day in My Life Getting Laid Off At Google." In the video, which received over 4.2 million views, Tsai said via a voiceover that she woke up to a "really ominous text" from her boss who later told her to check the news and her email.
@nicolesdailyvlog The Google layoffs were not how I expected to start off 2023, but I know it’s only up from here #techlayoffs #googlelayoffs #techgirl #corporatelife #techvlog #dayinmylife #techlayoffs2023 ♬ Flowers - Miley Cyrus
She went on to show an "access denied" message on her computer, saying she had "lost access to basically everything," including her email and calendar. Tsai said she "sobbed over the phone" to her boss who was "also finding out about my layoff for the first time today too."
Tsai said she started receiving calls from her co-workers as she discovered who else was let go.
"I think the worst part is that it seems like no one was consulted on this decision, and everyone was just finding out about the layoffs at the same time. It just felt like a really bad game of Russian roulette," Tsai said in the video. "There was no consistency around who was let go. It was also not performance based so it just felt really random."
According to Tsai's LinkedIn page, she had worked as a partner services program manager at Google in Irvine, California, since July 2021. In a LinkedIn post shared on January 21 that received over 1,200 reactions, Tsai said she was "completely blindsided" after finding out she was being let go, but added, "there is some comfort in knowing I'm not the only one."
She wrote, "I've always dreamed of working at Google, and feel grateful to have fulfilled that dream. I've certainly enjoyed every minute of being a Googler."
Comments beneath Tsai's viral video expressed support and encouragement. "It's just a job. You'll find another one. You are worth more than Google," a comment with over 4,400 likes read. "What a traumatic way to find out. I wish you the best," a comment with over 334 likes read.
In a follow-up video posted on January 23, which received over 90,000 views, Tsai addressed the camera and said she was "so overwhelmed with the love and support," which she said made her "bad day a lot better." She said she would continue to post "more updates" about the unfolding situation.
@nicolesdailyvlog This is unfortunately only the beginning of the Google layoffs. More to come. But thank you for all your kind words and overwhelming support #googlelayoffs #techlayoffs #techgirl #corporatelife #unemployed ♬ original sound - Nicole
On January 20, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google's parent company Alphabet, announced in a staff memo that Google was laying off 12,000 employees, which amounted to around 6.4% of its global workforce, Insider reported.
"Over the past two years we've seen periods of dramatic growth. To match and fuel that growth, we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today," the memo read.
Tsai has over 32,000 followers on TikTok where she shared her experience as an employee at Google. Her most viral video prior to being laid off featured a look inside the Google office, and received over 2 million views. Other clips showcased the free lunches and gifts she received from the company. Tsai declined to comment for this article.
Google did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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