These are not layoffs because people suddenly became “bad performers.”
The recent layoffs from Freshworks, Atlassian, Workday, Cloudflare and others sound like a crisis.
But perhaps they are not.
These are not layoffs because people suddenly became “bad performers.”
In many cases, these are the after-effects of the over-hiring that happened during and after Covid, when SaaS demand spiked faster than anyone expected.
The people impacted are smart, trained, ambitious, and battle-tested.
And they will figure their way out.
They will consult. They will build. They will start small agencies.
Some will join other companies. Many may not take up a job again.
Dharmesh Shah recently wrote:
“I think in the coming years, we're going to see the greatest unleashing of entrepreneurial energy that we've seen in our lifetimes. Millions of companies will get started not just because there are new opportunities with AI but because AI will make it possible for small teams to have mighty impact.”
I completely agree.
The next wave of startups may not just come from YC or other premier incubators.
It may come from laid-off operators and domain experts who finally have the tools to build.
Every crisis creates an opportunity.
This one might create a generation of builders.
That is also why we are building Jazz Club — a community for aspiring AI consultants, agencies, and channel partners.
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Community Access
A private circle of ambitious founders & creators
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