Microsoft manager fires young employee with no responsibilities

A software engineer in Hyderabad was laid off from Microsoft after his manager allegedly told him he was “relatively young” and did not have “major responsibilities yet,” according to a post shared on Reddit.

Manager’s comments and employee’s response

The engineer, who has around three years of experience, said his team was hit hard in the latest round of job cuts. He claimed his manager cited his age and presumed lack of heavy duties as reasons for his removal. However, the employee clarified that he did not necessarily believe age was the deciding factor. He suggested his manager may have been trying to offer some comfort during the discussion.

The engineer noted that the assumption about his responsibilities did not align with his personal situation. He said he is the sole earner in his family, supports his parents, helps fund his sister’s education, and manages a loan his father took.

Job search and online discussion

After the layoff, the engineer said he is looking for a new opportunity. He has posted on the platform seeking referrals and leads. He described his skills as spanning backend and full-stack engineering, with recent focus on Agentic AI projects and hackathons. The posting states he can take a project from concept to completion independently.

He is open to roles at big technology companies, startups, and other sectors, including Software Engineer 2 and Software Engineer positions. He mentioned he is willing to relocate and is considering freelance or contract work involving backend, full-stack, or AI/Agentic AI development.

Reddit users responded to the post, debating layoff criteria and job security. One commenter noted that companies in different countries often prioritize employees based on family status, such as marital or parental status, when making cuts. Another user described large tech companies as sometimes treating employees as numbers in an Excel sheet, stating that grinding for interviews to enter these firms can feel pointless if the company can “throw you off the bus” at any moment.

One user argued that companies in different countries can use different criteria when prioritising employees during layoffs. This individual noted that while firing based on assumption is wrong, it is a common practice in a lot of countries to have a priority-based layoff. For example, in Germany, a single person will be lower in the priority list compared to a married person who will be lower than a married person with kids. People with disabilities are also given consideration, meaning a normal single person will often be the first to be laid off.

Another commenter questioned the security offered by large technology companies, arguing that employees can sometimes feel like numbers in a broader workforce-reduction exercise. They mentioned that they have heard many times that layoffs are just based on some Excel sheet exercise and nothing else, leaving employees feeling like mere statistics. This perspective suggests that the effort put into grinding Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) and preparing for interviews to enter these tech giants feels pointless if the company can “throw you off the bus” at any moment. The user expressed a sentiment that these companies have lost their credibility, stating that working there is sometimes just a name to flex rather than a stable career path, and that it sometimes feels better to work in a mid-scale company, earn less, and stay safer than to be employed by these firms.