Stage 2 · Lesson 6 of 6
Rumours, and what to do with them
Before a layoff, rumours spread fast: on Blind, in group chats, in quiet conversations by the coffee machine. Some are true, many are not, and dates often slip. Do not make big decisions, such as resigning, on a rumour alone, because leaving voluntarily can cost you you would otherwise get.
Do use rumours as a prompt to check your preparation: savings, CV, network, documents. Keep doing good, visible work, because the period before cuts is exactly when people are being judged. And do not spread rumours yourself; it is remembered.
Common trapeither ignoring all rumours or spending the day refreshing forums instead of working.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it
Resources for this stage
Start with
- GuideFreeThe Pragmatic Engineer
Gergely Orosz
Free posts that explain how tech companies plan cuts, reorganise and decide headcount
Keep handy
Also worth your time
Questions that get your manager talking about priorities and the next quarter
- r/ExperiencedDevsGo deeper
How experienced engineers read reorganisations and decide when to move