Ex-Twitter, Meta employees take to TikTok to share layoff experiences

Former employees from companies including Meta Platforms Inc. and Twitter Inc. are taking to TikTok to give an unfiltered look behind the scenes of the mass layoffs hitting the tech industry.

One video from someone who claims to be an ex-Twitter employee invites viewers to “get ready with me to see if I was laid off from my job” has racked up over half a million views and 80,000 likes. “Get ready with me” (#GRWM) is a common TikTok trope where users invite followers to join them as they do their makeup and get dressed for work, a night out or a first date. Other recent videos are emotional and raw, opening up right after the news hits. Some even share snippets from the moment they’re let go.

From comic to heartfelt, the videos have one thing in common: the simple act of posting challenges the shame and silence that usually prevails after someone gets let go from a job. Those posting say it’s helping them cope with the experience, commiserate with other people in the same situation — and network for the next opportunity.