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Indian-origin techie, laid off from Amazon after 11 years, shares how his teenage daughter helped him bounce back
Laid off from Amazon after 11 years, an Indian-origin techie says his teenage daughter inspired him to stay positive and focus on upskilling.
An Indian-origin tech professional based in Washington has shared how he coped with being laid off from Amazon after more than a decade, and how his teenage daughter helped him see the situation more positively.
In an as-told-to essay published by Business Insider, 47-year-old Hemant Virmani said the October 2025 layoff came as a shock. “Amazon was part of my daily life for 11.5 years, and suddenly it was gone,” he wrote, recalling the middle-of-the-night email informing him that he had lost his senior software development manager role.
Virmani said there is “no right way or easy way” to conduct layoffs. Although he had seen team members lose their jobs in 2023, experiencing it himself felt very different.
The morning after the layoff, the techie said that he had a mandatory 30-minute meeting with his manager, who offered support and delivered the news in what Virmani described as a “positive, human way.” An old manager also reached out and met him at a coffee shop to check on his wellbeing.
(Also Read: Indian woman tears up as she leaves US after being laid off: ‘America, I love you’)
How did his daughter inspire him?
For the first few days, Virmani said he struggled to process what had happened. But watching his daughter, a high school senior who had overcome a difficult situation the previous year, changed his outlook.
“She had an adverse situation happen to her last year that required recovery. How she reacted in that difficult time inspired me. Her mental model was: ‘Challenges don't have to keep me from showing up for myself or for others.’ Her positive attitude was an inspiration for me to do the same,” Virmani said.
“I kind of learned from her that I had to take this layoff with positivity, keep my cool, and focus on what was next,” he continued.
Weeks later, Virmani recalled facing another personal loss when his father died. He travelled to India to support his family and took about a month to reflect on his career and priorities.
(Also Read: Laid-off Washington Post journalist shuts down troll who asked her to ‘Go back to India’)
‘Blessing in disguise’
Now, he says the break has brought a “refreshing change”. “I'm less focused on the size or name of the next company I work for, and more on what I'd be doing there. I'm looking forward to hopefully heading the engineering for something that has a great impact on customers,” he said.
Virmani said that he has begun upskilling in artificial intelligence, adding that he wants to be “proactive, not reactive” about the future of the tech industry. He has started working on a hobby AI project to gain hands-on experience and is applying for head-of-engineering roles while networking.
The layoff has also prompted lifestyle changes. The 47-year-old said that he is prioritising his health, going to the gym 4-5 days a week, and structuring his time between job applications and learning new skills.
After announcing his layoff on LinkedIn, Virmani said he received supportive messages from friends, former colleagues, and even acquaintances he had not spoken to in decades. Some contacts have already led to job opportunities, he told the outlet.
He admitted he is still worried about when he will find his next role, but added that he believes the experience could turn out to be “a blessing in disguise.”
“My advice to anyone undergoing layoffs is to realize that layoffs are not about you. It's about an environment that is driving layoffs. Secondly, now that this has happened, you can't go back in the past and change it. Look forward to what you can do next. How you react is very important,” he said.
