microsoftThe story of a dedicated Microsoft engineer’s firing has rocked Reddit: a man with 25 years of experience, autism, and multiple sclerosis lost his job due to an automated system — and found out a few days before his 48th birthday.
microsoftThe story of a dedicated Microsoft engineer’s firing has rocked Reddit: a man with 25 years of experience, autism, and multiple sclerosis lost his job due to an automated system — and found out a few days before his 48th birthday.
His wife wrote about this in an emotional post on Reddit. She said that her husband had dedicated his entire life to working at Microsoft, where he had been an engineer for over 25 years. His dismissal came as a shock to the family — randomly selected by an algorithm, he was among those the company laid off as part of its latest wave of staff optimization .
According to the author, the man never sought promotions or recognition — he simply came to work and solved complex technical problems. He worked 60-hour weeks, replaced colleagues on holidays, received awards for fixing critical errors and trained others. The names of such employees are usually known not only in the team, but also in senior management — but this was not enough to keep his position.
Microsoft has repeatedly made headlines for its large-scale staff reductions, with the company announcing more than 10,000 layoffs in 2023. In March 2024, the company confirmed a new wave of layoffs, including in its engineering teams. Decisions are often made by automated systems without personal analysis of the situation.
The last symbolic recognition from the company was the presentation of a crystal souvenir for 25 years of service — and a few months later he was handed a notice of dismissal.
The post caused a stir in the community, gathering thousands of reactions. Users were outraged by the automated approach to such decisions, which does not take into account human input and commitment to the company. Many thanked the woman for her courage to tell a story that reflects the attitude of large corporations towards the «unsung heroes» of the tech sector.
Microsoft also recently updated its employee performance policy, which includes a two-year ban on rehiring unproductive employees.
