Oracle laid off nearly 30,000 staff earlier this year. The company sent a 6am email informing the impacted employees. Days later, an ex-Oracle employee shared a LinkedIn post claiming that the job cuts “follow an algorithm of high level individual contributors and mid-level managers”. The post has now gone viral on the internet. The post was shared by Nina Lewis. According to her LinkedIn profile, she worked as Security Alert Manager at Oracle for more than 33 years. Nina was among the many employees laid off by Oracle. She said the news came as a shock, and her message connected with many others who were also affected.
Here’s what the laid off Oracle employee wrote on LinkedIn
“Well, after 30+ years at Oracle, I join the 30,000 or so laid off today. Quite a shock. Many of the absolute best colleagues were laid off as well. It seems (BUT I DON’T KNOW), maybe, layoffs follow an algorithm of high level individual contributors and mid-level managers – especially those with outstanding stock options. Not sure what to do next, if anything. Open to ideas.”
Laid off Oracle employee sparks conversation
Nina Lewis’ post struck a chord with many users on LinkedIn. Commenting on her post, one user wrote: “Sorry to hear this — situations like this always hit hard.
Out of curiosity (only if you’re comfortable sharing), was there any transparency behind the layoffs? There’s a growing narrative that these decisions are becoming more algorithm-driven, especially around cost and stock exposure — wondering how true that felt from the inside.”
“Happy to see an acknowledgement that giant organizations like Oracle do have such algorithms and carefully identity the employees with outstanding stock options. It ensures the employees with outstanding contributions to the organizations are not randomly fired,” said another.A third user wrote: “Hi there, Nina, I also received “the email.” I was just shy of my 30 yr anniversary. While I never directly with you, I know of your work and reputation. Whether your retire or take on a new endeavor, I know you’ll land. Please take care of yourself. I’m so sorry.”