Ex-Google employee compares getting laid off to 'a game of Russian Roulette'

A viral TikToker, who frequently posts 'day in a life' vlogs working at Google, has shared her experience of being laid off.

In a clip that's racked up a staggering 4.2 million views, Nicole (@nicolesdailyvlog) was left stunned by the unexpected news. "The Google layoffs were not how I expected to start off 2023, but I know it’s only up from here," she wrote in the caption.

Nicole worked at Google as a Partner Services Programme Manager, according to her LinkedIn. But now, after the announcement Google's parent company Alphabet announced it was cutting 12,000 employees, Nicole has found herself jobless.

She claimed that her boss told her to check her emails. "I called my boss back and we just sobbed over the phone because she was also finding out about my layoff for the first time today too," Nicole said.

"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 felt like a really bad game of Russian Roulette and there was no consistency around who was let go," she added.

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It comes after Google’s announced the lay-offs in an email to staff.

The cuts, which will affect about six per cent of the group’s workforce, are expected to be made broadly across its global markets.

Chief executive Sundar Pichai told workers: "I have some difficult news to share – we’ve decided to reduce our workforce by approximately 12,000 roles.

"We’ve already sent a separate email to employees in the US who are affected. In other countries, this process will take longer due to local laws and practices.

"This will mean saying goodbye to some incredibly talented people we worked hard to hire and have loved working with.”

He said the business had witnessed two years of dramatic growth but "hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today".

Google employs more than 5,000 workers in the UK. It is not known how the cuts will affect the group’s UK staff.

Pichai added: "We’ve undertaken a rigorous review across product areas and functions to ensure that our people and roles are aligned with our highest priorities as a company.

"The roles we’re eliminating reflect the outcome of that review. They cut across Alphabet, product areas, functions, levels and regions."

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