Indian man laid off 'after working for over 21 years at Microsoft

As part of Telangana's cloud adoption, the state is working with Microsoft Azure and others to ensure citizen services have the best of infrastructure as part of its tech stack. (Image: Reuters)

An Indian man who was laid off from Microsoft – where he had worked for over two decades – has said that news of the elimination hit him and his family was hard, but he felt deep gratitude towards the company for the career opportunities he got.

Microsoft on January 18 said it would eliminate 10,000 jobs, almost 5 percent of the global workforce, as it braces for a potential recession.

Among those who lost their jobs is Prashant Kamani, who started his career with Microsoft and worked with the company in various capacities over the course of 21 years.

Kamani graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Delhi’s St Stephen’s College and a Master’s in Computer Science from Savitribai Phule Pune University. His first job after college was with Microsoft, for which he relocated to the US.

All in all, he stayed with Microsoft for over two decades, the majority of his career – aside from a relatively brief stint at Amazon, according to his LinkedIn profile. Seattle-based Kamani started his career as a software design engineer in 1999 before becoming a team lead at Microsoft and, eventually, a software engineering manager. He then spent two years at Amazon before re-joining Microsoft as Principal Software Development Manager.

“Today I was informed that my position at Microsoft has been eliminated,” Kamani wrote in a LinkedIn post on January 19 – a day after the software giant announced upcoming layoffs.

“Microsoft was my first job after college, and I still remember coming over to a foreign land all nervous and excited, wondering what life has in store for me. After working for over 21 years at Microsoft, multiple roles, multiple organizations… I can truly say it’s been very fulfilling and rewarding,” he wrote.

He reiterated his gratitude for Microsoft, saying the company gave him a wealth of experience for which he would always be grateful.

Kamani also spoke about the impact that his job loss would have on his family. “I know that today’s news is hitting them equally hard, yet they are staying strong and carrying me through this,” he wrote.

He ended his post by saying he was looking for other opportunities in software management positions. “If you know of people hiring for software management positions, do connect me,” Kamani wrote.

Several other employees affected by Microsoft’s mass layoffs have taken to social media with similar appeals.

In an email to employees, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said, “While we are eliminating roles in some areas, we will continue to hire in key strategic areas.”