Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney had apologised for laying off an employee with brain cancer, leading him to lose his health insurance. Mike Prinke had worked as a programmer for Epic, the company behind the hugely popular game Fortnite, for just under seven years. Last week, he was named among 1,000 employees who would lose their jobs in a round of layoffs.
In a heartwrenching post shared on Facebook, Prinke’s wife Jenni Griffin said that the layoff did not mean just loss of income for their family — it meant that Prinke was left without insurance at an already critical time.
Laid-off employee’s wife pens heartbreaking post
Griffin’s heartbreaking appeal on Facebook had gone viral last week. Yesterday, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney responded saying the company is in touch with the family to resolve the insurance issue.
(Also read: Fortnite maker lays off 1,000 employees. Read Epic Games CEO’s full memo)
In her post, Mike Prinke’s wife Jenni Griffin wrote, “My husband, Mike was recently laid off along with over a thousand others at Epic Games. What makes this different for our family is that Mike is currently fighting terminal brain cancer.
“Because of the layoff, we didn't just lose income—we lost his life insurance.
{{/usCountry}}“Because of the layoff, we didn't just lose income—we lost his life insurance.
{{/usCountry}}“And because his condition is now considered a pre-existing condition, he can't get new coverage,” she said.
The huge loss
Griffin pointed out that the layoff could mean losing her husband. “So now, as I face the reality of losing my husband... I'm also facing the reality of what type of funeral/burial 1 can afford. How I will keep a roof over our heads,” she wrote on Facebook. “How I will protect our son and the life we built together. What will happen to our dogs.”
She then addressed the management of Epic Games, noting that her husband is more than a number on a spreadsheet. “He is a father. A husband. A person deeply loved,” she said.
Griffin concluded her post by asking people to help her get in touch with Epic Games management to resolve the issue.
Epic CEO responds
As the appeal gained thousands of views and led to massive backlash against Epic, Tim Sweeney replied to one viral X post criticising him for laying off an employee with terminal brain cancer. He said that Epic Games is in touch with Prinke and his family to resolve the issue.
The CEO of Epic Games also apologised for not spotting this issue in advance, while noting that illnesses are never a factor in layoffs.
“Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them. There is high confidentiality around medical information and it was not a factor in this layoff decision. Sorry to everyone for not recognizing this terribly painful situation and handling it in advance,” he wrote on X.
(Also read: ‘So many late nights, so many weekends’: Fortnite developer shocked at being laid off)