After dedicating more than twenty years to Microsoft across three separate tenures, Joe Friend found himself unexpectedly facing the end of his journey with the company when he was laid off in May. Although he continues to explore what his next step might be, one conclusion has crystallized clearly in his mind: his long chapter within the powerful sphere of Big Tech has officially reached its close.
Roughly half a year before the layoff, while serving as a director of product management responsible for guiding a team of nine professionals, Friend had begun hearing unsettling whispers about an upcoming corporate restructuring. The rumored reorganization, according to internal conversations, appeared poised to affect layers of management throughout the company. Despite these signals, he felt confident his role was secure, certain that the value he provided and the stability of his department would protect him from major disruption. This assumption, however, would soon prove misguided.
When May arrived, Friend discovered that both he and fourteen members of his broader working group—including four other managerial colleagues—were being let go as part of a sweeping workforce reduction. For him, the news was jolting. “I wasn’t entirely surprised that layoffs were happening,” Friend explained from his Washington state home, “but I truly didn’t expect to be caught in their path.” At sixty-two, the experience struck not only as a professional setback but also as a personal inflection point, forcing reflection on his remaining career horizon.
The dismissal carried an additional emotional weight because it disrupted the retirement strategy he had carefully designed. For years, he had planned to remain with Microsoft until at least his sixty-fifth birthday, a milestone that company policy identifies as the threshold at which most long-term stock grants continue to vest even after departure. Once reaching that age, his intention was either to retire formally or to transition gradually into a new pursuit. Being laid off three years ahead of that mark collapsed that comfortable timeline. “I thought I had three years to figure out what I wanted to do next,” he said. “Instead, I suddenly found myself standing at that crossroads right now, needing to decide immediately.”
Friend’s story mirrors the broader wave of layoffs coursing through Microsoft and the technology industry at large. Over the past year alone, the company eliminated around six thousand positions in May, followed by approximately nine thousand additional cuts in July. A company spokesperson explained to Business Insider that the decisions were part of an intentional restructuring effort aimed at reducing the number of managerial layers and streamlining operational processes. Other industry titans—Google, Intel, and Amazon among them—have announced similar measures, all contributing to what analysts are calling the “Great Flattening,” a phenomenon characterized by a deliberate contraction of middle management. Although the overall level of layoffs across the economy remains below historical peaks, workers in technical and professional roles have experienced the brunt of these changes, particularly as white-collar hiring has slowed, narrowing the opportunities available to those seeking new positions.
Amid this uncertain environment, Friend has begun to reimagine what he truly wants in the next phase of his career. He serves as one of many voices shaping the evolving narrative of technology professionals confronting the consequences of corporate realignment and a rapidly changing employment market. Business Insider has been documenting such experiences, collecting accounts from numerous workers who have seen their career paths disrupted by layoffs, hiring freezes, and shifting corporate priorities. For those finding themselves in similar circumstances, the publication continues to invite personal stories shared securely via dedicated contact channels.
Leaving Microsoft was not new to Friend; in fact, this was the third time he had parted ways with the company. But unlike previous departures, this instance was wholly involuntary. His connection with Microsoft dated back to 1994, when he joined as a lead program manager contributing to the development of Microsoft Word. Three years later, driven by a long-standing aspiration to live abroad and engage in meaningful social impact work, he relocated with his family to Indonesia. There he spent over six years with an international non-governmental organization, immersing himself in projects that resonated more deeply with his personal values.
Upon returning to the United States in 2003, Friend contemplated maintaining his trajectory within the nonprofit sector, but soon realized that such roles provided little financial stability domestically. Consequently, he chose to return to familiar territory within the technology industry—ultimately rejoining Microsoft once again. Over the following fourteen years, he played integral roles across various teams, yet by early 2017, he began feeling the creeping effects of burnout, prompting him to seek new horizons. After interviewing with several large corporations, he recognized that none offered the cultural or creative environment he desired. “I came to understand that I didn’t want to be part of another enormous corporate machine,” he recalled.
This realization led him to accept a position with Stack Overflow, the widely known online platform for software developers. The change offered a refreshing pace and a renewed sense of engagement with a community-driven mission. Yet, not long after settling in, Microsoft reached out again. A former colleague persistently encouraged him to explore a new team that was forming within the company. Initially hesitant, Friend eventually agreed to a conversation, and what he discovered intrigued him. A major internal cultural shift appeared to be taking place at Microsoft—one that impressed him enough to overcome his reservations. Convinced that the company had genuinely evolved, he decided to return in 2018, resuming his Microsoft tenure that would ultimately continue until the layoff in May 2025.
Following the termination, Friend continued receiving regular paychecks for several weeks until mid-July, when he obtained a substantial lump-sum severance payment roughly equivalent to the income he would have earned for the remainder of the calendar year. He freely acknowledged that the separation felt, on some level, like a personal betrayal and posed a financial inconvenience—but emphasized that it did not imperil his stability. “It’s disheartening, yes, but not disastrous,” he admitted. This relative financial security afforded him the privilege of taking his time to weigh his options thoughtfully rather than rushing impulsively into a new role.
In the months that followed, he met with a financial advisor to determine whether an early retirement might be feasible. While acquaintances and recruiters occasionally forwarded enticing job leads, none ultimately proved compelling. As a result, Friend has entered what he calls a “semi-retired” phase—an intermediary state between full professional engagement and complete withdrawal from the workforce. Much of his energy now centers on mentoring and assisting a young entrepreneur in building a small business venture. The motivation behind this pursuit, he emphasized, is not driven by financial reward but by the satisfaction of supporting someone determined to transform their own future. “At this stage, it’s not about accumulating more wealth,” he said. “It’s about helping someone else create something meaningful.”
If he were to retire completely, Friend believes that he and his wife could maintain their current lifestyle comfortably without significant adjustments. However, he remains uncertain whether he is emotionally ready to detach entirely from professional life. One conviction, nevertheless, is unwavering: his next step will not involve a return to Microsoft. Reflecting on his long experience, he observed that the company once upheld an implicit social contract—if employees performed well, they could expect both competitive compensation and long-term job security. In his view, that understanding has eroded over time. The sense of mutual loyalty that once defined corporate culture, he feels, has been replaced by a more transactional, efficiency-driven ethos prevalent throughout the broader technology sector.
For that reason, Friend intends to be sharply discerning about any future employment opportunities. He is no longer motivated by titles, stock packages, or the prestige of working at a major tech powerhouse. “I’d much rather earn fifty thousand dollars a year doing something that excites and fulfills me than make many times that in a role that leaves me drained,” he concluded. His stance encapsulates a growing sentiment among veteran professionals who, after decades within the intense and often impersonal environment of Big Tech, are choosing meaning over metrics, and purpose over profit. While a return to the workforce remains possible, he is certain that it will unfold far from the towering glass campuses that once defined his career.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/laid-off-microsoft-manager-shares-done-with-big-tech-job-2025-10
