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This website is a volunteer effort to provide a curated list of resources in support of our fellow tech workers. The first version is US-centric. Want to contribute or add a page for your country? Get in touch with us by emailing Suggestions@LaidOffTechWorker.com!

You are Not Alone

Take care of yourself

If at all possible, try to take at least a day off before worrying about your next step. Do something that absorbs you: take your kids to the beach, read a book, go for a hike...

If you're feeling down, consider meeting with a therapist. If you have access to health insurance, check whether it will be covered. Even it isn't, paying cash may not cost too much for a few sessions. You may be someone who has never spoken with a therapist before, and that's ok. If you're used to talking things through with a family member, be aware that they may feel stress from this situation as well, and it may be more helpful to seek an independent, supportive, third party expert like a therapist.

How to talk to Family and Friends

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Find Community

Online forums like Hacker News, and the healthier corners of Reddit, often have discussions of layoffs and hiring companies, and can be a good place just to seek out individuals in the same situation. Search Facebook for groups relevant to your location and company/industry. If the pandemic hasn't squashed all of your social activity, make a point to prioritize seeing people in real life as you normally would.

Taking Stock

Financial Situation

How much runway do you have? Hopefully you have saved enough to cover your expenses for at least a few months.

Numerous personal finance blogs will help with these questions, a starting resource is "Find your Net Worth, Spending, and Savings Rate" by a blog called Mr Money Mustache.

For technical financial questions, we highly recommend the https://www.bogleheads.org/ wiki and forums. They were created by fans of Jack Bogle, the notoriously frugal and customer-focused founder of Vanguard.

Health Insurance

Don't wait until your health insurance runs out to make a plan. Don't go without health insurance!! Here are the main options:

Spousal coverage: if your spouse works at a job that provides health insurance, this will very often be the best option for you, because it is usually subsidized by their employer and covers a pool of people who are healthy enough to work.
COBRA: when your employer stops subsidizing the health plan that they offered you, you will often have the option to keep the plan, but pay the full bill yourself. This is often the first time people realize how expensive health insurance is. It generally can be continued up to 18 months; then you will need to use another option on this list. It is worth comparison-shopping against the Marketplace, below.
Health Insurance Marketplace: Since 2014 all private insurance in the US must be offered equally to everyone -- price differences are only due to amount of coverage offered, the insured's age, and whether they smoke. Ehealthinsurance.com is a good national site that lets you search and compare plans in your area (click "Individuals and Family"). The two most important numbers to compare are monthly premium and annual out-of-pocket maximum (how much you could spend if you had a major health issue, it is the deductible plus the maximum coinsurance amount). Wikipedia has a good overview of subsidies available based on income. You can apply during open enrollment in the fall for coverage starting Jan 1, or if you have a qualifying life event (like losing your employer health insurance).
Temporary Health Insurance: is not available in California (2018 law). In most other states, it can be bought for 6-18 months if you are healthy (insurers will probably reject you if you are obese, pregnant, have diabetes, HIV, etc.), and it can be a decent option if you are confident you will be able to get coverage after the insurance expires. It is generally cheaper than "real" health insurance because if you do get a major condition, they only have to cover your expenses for the term (6-18mo). Warning: if you elect this option, you may have trouble getting coverage for any pre-existing conditions that you develop during this period after the temporary insurance expires. You can use Ehealthinsurance.com to to search for these policies.
Medicaid and Medicare: won't be available for most people reading this. Medicare is for people over 65 years old. Medicaid eligibility varies by state; in California you must earn less than $1564/month and hold less than $130,000 in assets to be eligible as a single person.

Health insurance costs the same whether you buy it direct from the insurer, through another website, or through a broker. If you have questions, use Yelp to search for a reputable health insurance broker near you.

Unemployment Benefits

California: https://edd.ca.gov/Unemployment/. The maximum benefit is $450/wk ($23k/yr).

Select your state here for other states (linked from https://www.usa.gov/unemployment).

Your Skills

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The Economy

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Your Network

LinkedIn is the clear leader for professional networking in the US and many countries.

Job Hunting

[WIP...]

Spearfishing, not Net Fishing

If you are more than a few years/promotions in to your tech career, you will likely have more success and less emotional drain from targeting a handful of jobs that are highly relevant to you, ideally via personal connections, than pasting your resume all over the internet.

Add yourself to Recruiter Lists

These can be particularly helpful for junior employees.

Layoffs.fyi has "Lists of Employees Laid Off" that links to Google Sheets where you can add your name.

Tech Startup Starting

If you have a significant financial runway (see above), an appetite for risk, and a good cofounder(s), a recession can be a good time to start a startup.

There is a plethora of advice available for how to start a startup (internet search, Hacker News search, Paul Graham, PG in 2014). Here are a few links and bits of advice.

Have Founder(s) and a Plan

A starting point: get a founding team of 2-3 who have similar dedication and risk appetite, who together cover at least engineering and marketing skills, and each of whom you would trust to treat you fairly if they ended up with full control of the company. Do still write up your intended ownership structure and responsibilities. Do market research and write a very rough business plan.

Paul Graham: What We Look for in Founders

Fred Wilson: The Co-Founder Relationship

Jason Cohen: Don't Write a Business Plan, just Answer 10 Questions

Bootstrap or VC?

Some types of businesses can be bootstrapped (self-funded), if the founder(s) have at least some savings. Some tech businesses require a lot of money to get started, and typically seek it from venture capitalists. These tend to look very different, though some businesses could be either. You should have in mind what kind of business you want to build, defined by what type of market you are going after, from the beginning.

Vista Point: Bootstrapping vs. Venture Capital

Paul Graham: How to Fund a Startup

Tyler King: Entrepreneur vs CEO

Identifying Opportunities

Justin Jackson: How to Identify What People Want

Paul Graham: How to Get Startup Ideas

Immigration and Visas

For anything remotely complicated, it's worth talking to a professional immigration lawyer. You can find one on Yelp or through the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Public Resources for Former Employees of Specific Tech Companies

Twitter

Join the Tweeps - Twitter Employees and Alumni on LinkedIn.

Add yourself to the Twitter laid-off talent list.

Uber

Join the Uber Employees & Alumni Group on LinkedIn.

Other

Layoffs.fyi has more "Lists of Employees Laid Off" that links to Google Sheets where you can add your name.

Help Your Fellow Tech Workers Out!

If you've made it this far, and want to contribute to this website, please get in touch to volunteer with us!