02/22/2023

Tech Layoffs Are Feeding a New Startup Surge

Among those laid off by large companies are some seeking to create their own

Henry Kirk always thought he would eventually leave his job as an engineering manager at Google and start his own company. But when he became one of the 12,000 employees let go by the tech giant in January, he decided his time had come—albeit in an earlier and unexpected fashion.

Kirk and five others laid off from Google are now working on launching their own software design and development studio. He announced his ejection from Google and the new venture in a LinkedIn post that garnered more than 15,000 reactions. Kirk says he's received a staggering 1,000 messages since making the post from people looking to work with the new agency or simply wishing him well on his attempt to conjure opportunity from a setback.

The team has given themselves until the end of March to pull the vision together, a tight deadline based on severance payouts and how Kirk and his teammates plan to divide their time and money between the company and home lives.

Please select this link to read the complete article from WIRED.