'Felt sad to see Meta, Google lay off friends. Then, Microsoft laid me off'

The former Microsoft employee is currently on the lookout for a new job. (File photo)

Samantha Dorai was feeling bad about her friends at Google and Meta when the tech giants began their mass layoffs. Little did she know that soon, she too would be laid off by Microsoft. The executive assistant to the general manager at Microsoft Singapore then took to social media to share how "real" the job loss felt.

"After hearing my colleagues turned friends at Meta affected by the Meta layoffs, and then hearing friends from Google being affected by the Google layoffs to my current colleagues at Microsoft affected by the Microsoft layoff, I felt so sad to see them go and the layoffs were affecting them all," Dorai wrote on LinkedIn.

"Five minutes ago I got the news that I’m part of the current spat of layoffs too. Now I know what it feels like… it’s a little sudden but real."

Interestingly, Dorai's boss Manish Prakash also left Microsoft two months ago and is now an advisor with digital research and advisory company in Singapore, Ecosystm. It, however, is not clear whether he quit the tech giant or was laid off as well.

Meanwhile, some laid-off professionals have also been sharing how difficult it has been for them to find new jobs. A former Microsoft employee, who was laid off last week, has shared how difficult it has been to secure a new job in the last two months.

Nicholas Knowlton has been on the job hunt ever since the tech giant announced the first round of layoffs, but even after sending out more than 1,000 applications.

On his last day at work, the cloud solution engineer from North Carolina, US, wrote, "Today is my official last day after being impacted by the Microsoft layoffs in March. I've been on a journey for the past two months, giving my all to secure a new job. Here are some numbers that reflect my efforts: 250+ applications, 57 recruiter calls, 15 hiring manager interviews, 3 final rounds, and 0 offers."

"It's been a roller coaster ride, with many interviews ending in "they decided to choose another candidate to move forward," Knowlton wrote on LinkedIn, adding that it has been financially challenging for him with limited family support.

Read more: Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs: report