5000+ Stories Behind Layoffs
5000 is not a cold number. It's 5000 late-night calls, 5000 difficult conversations, 5000 turning points in people's lives. Behind every number is a specific face, a family, a life going through its storm.
At its core, working for a company is a win-win balance between organization and individual — you contribute ability and time, the company provides platform and return. But when business pivots, strategy shifts, or your own value proposition changes, this balance breaks. Whether you jump or are pushed, it's the same: balance is lost, time to choose again.
I've seen a post-95 employee win the excellence award in the afternoon and get laid off that evening — not because she wasn't good enough, but because the business line was cut. I've seen an 18-year veteran HR draft her own departure agreement and sit in her car for two hours. I've also seen middle-aged people who felt relieved after being laid off: 'I've wanted to leave for a long time, I just never had the courage.'
What I can do is not choose between 'cold' and 'warm' — because this work is inherently contradictory. What I strive for is: let those leaving leave with dignity, let those staying not live in fear, so that every time the balance breaks, both sides can turn around gracefully.
「Layoffs are an organization's metabolism, but every person metabolized deserves to be seen.」