IT worker and TikToker Antrell (@TechByAntrell) ignited a litany of comments from folks who were suddenly laid off by their employers after sharing he was fired with no warning.
In his viral clip, Antrell says that he wasn’t given a solid reasoning as to why he was let go from his job in the first place, but suspects the fact that he was a new hire had something to do with it.
“Guys, I’m so hurt right now. I see this happen all the time I just didn’t think it would happen to me but I just got laid off,” he starts in the clip. “And I’m unemployed and I’m so hurt. I get it, I get it. A lot of people are being affected right now but like I didn’t think this would happen to me and I actually really liked this job. I only been there like five months I actually really liked this job and I was actually really happy there, and now I’m unemployed. I don’t know how to feel I don’t know how to respond I’m really sad.”
@techbyantrell So this is 2022… #tech #layoffs #fyp ♬ original sound – TechByAntrell
TikTokers who wanted to know more context about the circumstances surrounding Antrell’s layoff asked him what happened, and he obliged with a third clip about his firing.
@techbyantrell Replying to @kaylastewart912 here’s why I was laid off. #tech #layoffs #projectmanagement #losangeles ♬ Forget – XXKATUSJINSUX
“So, for context, I was an IT project manager at Bank of America,” Antrell says in the clip and went on to say that he was laid off “with no warning” and that it was a “same day layoff” which could explain the devastation on his face in his original clip.
To make matters worse, he adds that he wasn’t really given “much understanding” as to why he was being laid off in the first place. He did address concerns in the comments section, noting that his job performance nor his TikTok account played a part in him losing his job.
He believes that his age played a factor, as younger employees in the IT industry are “easily disposable because everyone else is much, much older than you and they don’t take you seriously from the beginning anyway.”
Antrell continues that he migrated from another company around four months prior to go work at Bank of America, and when a round of layoffs occurred, since he was the newest hire, he was one of the first to go up on the chopping block.
He then went on to say that although he was “was very, very sad about it at first,” he said that he ended up feeling a lot better about it and chalked it up “something that was supposed to happen as part of [his] journey” and thanked everyone for their sympathetic words in response to his first TikTok.
Viewers who saw his original post offered a slew of responses. Some shared their own layoff stories, while others encouraged him not to get too down and out about it, saying other opportunities will be available in his career.
“A person isnt defined by their job. Dont forget that,” one user encouraged.
“Have a self day babe ! You are not your job apply for unemployment and spend this time focusing on the next step,” another shared.
“Thank you for showing us the not so asthetic part of tech! This is why I follow you bc you are so transparent! This is only temporary,” one viewer wrote.
Another user empathized with Antrell, sharing they themselves were laid off twice in the past. “After the second time it purged any loyalty I’d ever have with a company,” they wrote.
SHRM predicted at the end of 2022 that there would be a dearth of IT worker shortages and if their analysis proved true throughout the year, Antrell should presumably find potential opportunities, depending on the metrics of the market he’s looking for work in.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Antrell via email for further comment.
