The tech job market has become uncertain for many employees lately. Appraisal meetings that once meant salary hikes and promotions are now sometimes turning into discussions about layoffs, project shortages, and cost-cutting. At the same time, companies are rapidly pushing AI-related work into their business plans. A recent Reddit post reflected this changing reality after a software developer claimed his appraisal meeting unexpectedly turned into a firing conversation before suddenly becoming a discussion about promotion and AI ideas.
The employee shared the story on Reddit and explained that the meeting initially did not go the way he expected. According to the post, his manager told him there were no projects available in the company and advised him to start looking for opportunities outside.
The employee wrote, “I had my appraisal meeting last week and my manager told me to look for job outside. Told me that there is no projects in our company and we think it will be a waste of your potential.”
The developer further explained that he was told he could serve a two-month notice period and leave if he managed to secure another role during that time. The employee admitted that he understood at that moment that he was essentially being fired.
AI ideas changed the entire discussion
However, the situation reportedly changed after the employee started discussing ideas related to AI integration and business growth. According to the Reddit post, he mentioned plans involving AI tools for the company website and other possible ways to scale operations using AI.
The employee wrote, “I replied to him saying I had ideas like integrating AI in our website and you know, scale our business using AI and also other ways.”
After hearing the ideas, the manager allegedly asked him to wait before calling him back again for another conversation. The Reddit user claimed, “He again called me and said we were going to see how you are performing in those 2 months and we will give you a promotion and a competitive salary if you can implement your ideas.”
The employee also revealed that he had already been searching for another job for nearly three months but had failed to receive a single offer. Because of the difficult market conditions, he decided to present his AI-related plans more seriously to management. “So in order to survive, I told him about my ideas and he was impressed,” the employee added.
Even after the sudden change in tone from management, the employee said he still intended to continue looking for opportunities outside the company.
Reddit users warned the employee to stay cautious
The post quickly gained attention online, with many Reddit users warning the developer not to trust the company too easily. Several commenters believed the manager might simply be trying to use the employee’s ideas before eventually terminating him anyway. One user commented, “They will most likely fire you once you finish this AI implementation. Switch ASAP.”
Another person wrote, “He’s gonna fire u eventually, after your whatever the idea of AI implementation.” Some users also questioned whether the employee’s notice period had officially been cancelled. A Reddit user advised him to get everything documented properly before continuing with the work.
“At the very least, he needs to take back your termination and you are no longer in notice period,” one comment read.
Another commenter mocked the current state of the tech industry and hiring market by writing, “This job market is so wild that companies are now running ‘India’s Got Talent’ during appraisal meetings.”
The original poster even agreed with some of the frustration surrounding the current market situation. Replying to one user, he wrote, “They are expecting devs to do miracles in tjis market.”
The story reflects wider anxiety in the software industry
The viral Reddit discussion also became a larger conversation about how unstable the software industry currently feels for many professionals. Layoffs, hiring freezes, fewer projects, and growing pressure to work with AI tools have become common concerns across the sector.
One Reddit user summed up the situation by commenting, “Manager is buying time, and you are buying time.”
Another user added, “Job market is tough and finding the job nowadays is not that easy with decent pay packages.”
While nobody knows how the employee’s situation will eventually end, the story connected with many people online because it reflected the reality many workers are quietly dealing with — where a single AI-related skill or idea can suddenly change the tone of an entire appraisal meeting.