7 months pregnant during Amazon layoffs. What this mother did

Laurin S, a senior program manager, departed Amazon in December. (Image credit: LinkedIn)

First jobs lost, notices received just days before relocating -- these are just some of the personal stories of those affected by Amazon's mass layoffs.

Amazon announced its plans to lay off thousands of employees in November 2022. After that, many workers opted for a Voluntary Release Program -- wherein staffers voluntarily separate from a company and receive lump-sum severance pay and other benefits.

Among those who took this route was US-based Laurin S, a senior program manager. When she departed Amazon in December, she was seven months pregnant.

"I decided to accept the Voluntary Release Program for my own sanity," Laurin wrote in a LinkedIn post on January 18.

Laurin, who is also an entrepreneur, said she was fortunate to have other sources of income to rely on,

"My heart goes out to everyone impacted by layoffs over the last few months, especially my former colleagues at Amazon," Laurin wrote. "Sending all of you thoughts and well wishes as we try to navigate these difficult times."

Laurin used her free time to take her teenage son to Disneyland and organise a baby shower.

She said right now, she isn't entirely sure about what to do after her second child is born. "Do I continue down the entrepreneur path or employment? We shall see.

Amazon is just one of the big corporations to announce mass layoffs recently. Twitter slashed roughly 50 percent of its workforce soon after Elon Musk's took over and Meta said it will cut 11,000 jobs.

Microsoft is the latest to announce mass layoffs amid the global tech gloom, saying it will let to 10,000 employees in the coming months.

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