‘AI is here to stay, human isn’t’: Meta employee laid off after nearly 10 years at company
In an emotional LinkedIn post, Gary Tay, who worked as an AdTech Business Support Engineer, revealed how abruptly his nearly decade-long journey at the firm ended.
Tay also mentioned how much time he had invested in adapting to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI). (AI generated image) A Singapore-based employee at Meta has gone viral after opening up about being laid off during the company’s latest wave of job cuts, just one day after he finished training a new engineer on his team. In an emotional LinkedIn post, Gary Tay, who worked as an AdTech Business Support Engineer, revealed how abruptly his nearly decade-long journey at the company ended.
“Yesterday i was training up my new pod engineer, glad i managed to squeeze in everything. Today. I’m laid off,” Tay wrote. He shared that he had spent 3,544 days at Meta—roughly nine years and nine months—after first joining the company in London before later moving to Singapore. Reflecting on his tenure, he pointed out how rare such long service had become within the company.
“Longer than 99.5% of current employees globally. 99.9% longer than anyone in the APAC office,” he said. Looking back on his career, Tay expressed gratitude for having witnessed Facebook’s growth over the years, while also highlighting his experience in the tech industry. “Not many Singaporeans can say they have been a engineer at Meta & Microsoft for over 15yrs,” he added.
Tay also mentioned how much time he had invested in adapting to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI). According to him, he spent much of the past year retraining himself in AI tools and building systems that significantly improved team efficiency. “This year was exceptional. Spent a huge amount of time retraining myself with AI and developing systems for the teams. Speed up workload by 2-300% while still keeping SLA with the world largest clients,” he wrote.
He then added a line that struck a chord with many online: “AI is here to stay, apparently the human isn’t.” Tay ended the post by saying he would now take some time to rethink his next career move while preparing for a major personal milestone, welcoming his newborn baby in July.
Check out the post:
Screenshot of the viral LinkedIn post
The post has gone viral, and many took to the comments to react to what Tay had to say. One user wrote, “My heart goes to you and everyone who got laid off. Such a long time at any company makes you grow attached, but Meta hasn’t been what it used to since Sheryl Sandberg left. Good luck on your future voyages!”
Another former colleague wrote, “I remembered working on some challenging product bug cases with you and feeling impressed at how you always solved what seemed to be impossible. I’m sure you’ll excel no matter where you go next!”
A third person added, “I have been through this and I understand totally how you’re feeling right now, Meta has been doing layoffs since November 2022 and it’s no longer the same since then.”
Meta layoffs
The layoffs are part of a larger restructuring effort at Meta, which reportedly began cutting nearly 8,000 jobs globally on Wednesday as the company pushes to reduce costs while continuing heavy investment in AI initiatives.
According to a report by Bloomberg, employees in Singapore started receiving layoff notifications around 4 am, while workers in Europe and the US were expected to be informed in their respective time zones.
An internal memo from Meta HR chief Janelle Gale, cited by Business Insider, reportedly said the company also plans to reduce managerial positions in an effort to create flatter organisational structures and smaller, faster-moving teams.
Disclaimer: This article highlights personal narratives and broader industry shifts within global tech organizations. The experiences shared represent individual perspectives and market adjustments, and should not be taken as professional career advice, financial guidance, or corporate forecasts.
Share
