In today’s issue, we talk to a former Senior Climate Writer at TechCrunch on unionizing, trans healthcare, and her dreamy rock two-song release.
Harri Weber, 33, worked at TechCrunch for two years covering climate and transportation. She was among around six people laid off in February.
Harri believes she was laid off for a few reasons: She’s based in Los Angeles and the new Editor-in-Chief at the time wanted to staff up in San Francisco. She wasn’t a top traffic performer. She was paid well. She worked a beat that was new for TechCrunch.
“Still, another staffer and I did once discuss unionizing around other staffers. You never know.”
Where were you when you found out?
Home, working remotely, not expecting to be laid off.
Did you see it coming?
I think there were signs in the industry. I was wondering when the layoffs would come for me. I also knew about the Editor-in-Chief’s focus on cutting costs and focusing on San Francisco Bay area. Plus, the Editor-in-Chief denied my request for travel and a hotel to SXSW, despite being offered to moderate an official SXSW panel.
What was the first thing you did after receiving the news?
I tweeted and called my mom. I didn’t cry until a friend who I already had plans with came over. We sat on the floor together, smoked weed, and talked about trauma and growing up queer.
Why do you think topics like trauma and growing up queer surfaced in the aftermath of a layoff?
As soon as I heard the news, I was back in survival mode — that brought up all the other times I've focused less on living and more on surviving. If I can't pay my rent, I can't live in Los Angeles. My community — the first queer community I've ever had — is here. It's easy to spiral, and a lot really is at stake. Financially, I'm still treading water today.
What did you do about health insurance?
I got three months of insurance paid, now I am on cobra but I will get off it in the coming months because it’s too expensive.
You mentioned health insurance and healthcare-related costs being your greatest financial concern.
I scheduled gender-affirming surgery a year in advance — the soonest I could. When I learned I was losing my job, I panicked. Trans healthcare is always a challenge, and I'd already done so much legwork to try to get the surgery covered. Things worked out. TechCrunch's severance included several months of insurance coverage. I also posted on Twitter that I was worried about the hefty copay I would still owe, and many of my friends and former coworkers responded by chipping in. I raised about $3,000. I feel so fortunate to know them. My heart feels so full when I think about it.
How has being laid off changed your relationship to work?
Luckily, I had already started unlinking my sense of self and self-worth with my career. But the layoff reminded me and still reminds me of the fragility of my livelihood, the media biz, my financial prospects, the limits of not having a four-year degree.
Do you find not having a four-year degree comes up in the job search process? It seems like a college degree is becoming less of a dealbreaker with the rise in entrepreneurship and creator culture, but that might be a wrong read. What's your experience been like?
I embraced journalism because I knew I'd constantly learn on the job, and I have. But many companies still expect a degree, and they seem to weed out applicants who don't have one. I think it's short-sighted.
Can you speak a bit to your unionizing efforts?
Several staffers, myself included, talked at one point about unionizing TechCrunch. To its credit, the blog pays way better than most, with great benefits. When we were chatting about unions, TechCrunch hadn't ever conducted layoffs, but I remember mentioning to others that unionizing while things felt good would be smart. Unions give workers the opportunity to respond collectively to unilateral changes, which are often short-sighted in the media business.
At one point, a TechCrunch colleague who was also let go reached out to a union for more information. That's as far as it went, I think. I still hope TechCrunch unionizes.
Years earlier, I worked in a unionized newsroom with you at Gizmodo. I saw how unions helped us look out for one another and protect the quality of our work.
What's it like being laid off for the first time in an industry where layoffs are so everyday?
I wasn't exactly surprised. After seeing a ton of media layoffs in January, I figured it was coming. I feel lucky to have dodged layoffs for so long. Earlier in my career, I think it helped that I was cheap and willing to work nonstop. I was naive and would absorb other roles and take on almost any amount of work. I have standards now.
Say you're playing layoff detective. What signs would you be looking out for to predict whether layoffs are coming?
You might be laid off soon if your boss adds HR to a Slack DM, talks about budget cuts, rejects travel plans, shakes up top-level leadership, and announces a new strategy that effectively translates to "do more, better.”
What advice would you give someone who has just been laid off?
Reach out to your network, stack freelance jobs, check on and/or empty your 401k if you need to, document/record what you can, plan to stop ordering DoorDash/Uber Eats, get a room and end your lease, call friends or family, commiserate with laid off colleagues.
What's something nice a person can do when their friend or peer gets laid off?
Sit on the floor with them and smoke weed while talking about trauma.
What do you wish people would STOP saying or doing after someone gets laid off?
Don’t force a bright side right away. Don’t make predictions about the job market. Just be there and listen and offer advice and tips a bit later.
Did that happen a lot to you?
"You'll be fine." "You'll land somewhere better." This kind of talk is frustrating to hear right as shit hits the fan. I work in a floundering industry, and I'd like to face the truth of that rather than sugarcoat things. I don't think journalism is totally doomed, but it's pretty bleak out there right now. I think it's important to stew in the short term over the loss of a job. I find it's ultimately easier to get over it that way.
OK now onto the cool shit — you're dropping new music.
I'm so stoked that I finally started releasing music. I'd left songwriting behind to focus on journalism. It took me a long time to face how I missed music dearly, and to accept that I would need to pace myself, and alter my expectations, in order to pick it back up in a lasting way.
Can you describe your music style?
I grew up on folk pop, indie rock and emo, and I draw a lot from dreamy artists like Alvvays and confessional singer-songwriters. My friend, Always co-writer/producer Jordan K, recently showed me F**k and Run by Liz Phair and that ended up influencing my latest single. I crave raw emotion. I want to reach into my depths. I want to be seen. For so long before transitioning, I didn't really have access to my inner self. Songwriting helps me explore it.
Would you consider this a passion project? Side hustle? Side hustle that you hope becomes the full-time thing?
Songwriting is more than a passion project or side hustle for me, but my focus is on doing the work and creating a steady practice. I want to grow and sustain my love of music. I don't want to rush, try to win the lottery, and burn out. Indie rock is rarely a full-time job.
Where can we listen? How can we show our support?
Omg, you know what, it would be amazing if you listened. I'm wherever you get your music: Spotify, Apple, Bandcamp, YouTube, and so on. I write rock songs.
What's next?
An EP! An LP! Not sure which will come first. I also work as a contributing editor at Qz and a freelance writer at Popular Science.
Harri is open to work. She’s looking for full-time + freelance reporting and editing work. Hit her up at harri@harri.fm
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This was so interesting to read. Thank you Melanie and Harri! And good luck on the job search :)