Laid Off: The Wall Street Journal's Gadgets Editor
"Being able to literally leave it behind, and just walk out onto the streets of New York was pretty cathartic. It would have felt really different to just like, close my laptop at my desk at home."
Laid Off is the coolest place on the internet to talk about being laid off.
This week’s coffee is on Duckbill! That means 10 readers will get a $10 gift card to a coffeeshop, on Duckbill. All you have to do is open today’s issue, and you’ll be entered to win.
Winners will be randomly selected and emailed by tomorrow morning.
Duckbill is an executive assistant for your personal life. You can hand Duckbill the things you dread or that should be on autopilot — I used it to help me find healthy dog food for Bogey and to pay my electric bill. You can even ask it to draft a LinkedIn post, find a doctor that accepts your insurance, order your favorite skincare products, or find a volunteering opportunity.
Use the code LAIDOFF for 50% off your first two months.
Want to sponsor a future issue and treat readers to coffee on you? Hit reply.
In today’s issue, I talk to
, the former Gears and Gadgets Editor for Off Duty, the weekend lifestyle insert of The Wall Street Journal, who was laid off the old school way — in a conference room surrounded by his managers and HR.
Daniel Varghese woke up on a Thursday morning ready to quickly draft a feature on why so few serious cyclists use Peloton that was due before the weekend. He was the Gears and Gadgets editor at The Wall Street Journal, where he had worked the last two years.
Right as he was getting ready to leave the house for the office, he got an email that he was added to a new meeting at 11:15am with his manager, their manager, and a random HR person. It was titled “Organizational Update.”
He said he knew what was happening as soon as he saw the guest list and emailed his manager asking what it was about. They said it was better to discuss in person.
“So, I took the train into the office, knowing full well this was probably my last day,” Daniel said. “Sure enough, when I got to the meeting room, the other three attendees were already assembled and waiting for me.”
They were laying him off. His manager’s boss said they were making cuts to the team’s headcount, that it wasn’t about his performance, he was a joy to work with, etcetera. Daniel asked if he would get to keep his health insurance.
The managers said that if he had logistics questions, he would leave it to the HR person, and they left the room.
“When they left, I turned to her and said, 'Did you know that it’s my birthday on Saturday?’”
What reasoning did they give for laying you off?
We were just over a year into Emma Tucker's term as the WSJ editor-in-chief. My understanding is that she had a pretty broad mandate to streamline the newsroom. Before the round of layoffs I was caught in, she had eliminated a bunch of desks, moved teams to new desks, and done a bunch of buyouts.
When I was laid off last summer, I was told basically every team had been told they had to lose some headcount. My manager decided to eliminate my section, thereby eliminating the need for my role. I was told it had nothing to do with my performance as an editor or colleague. Given the fact that he had literally recruited me away from my last editing job and spent the last two years mentoring me, and that the vibes in the newsroom at the time were so cursed, I still believe that's true.
You said you had to walk back to your desk to collect your things. How overt were you in sharing what happened with your coworkers? Did leadership advise you to have any discretion?
It's funny. I was asked to sign some paperwork that placed stipulations on how I could talk about the severance they offered me, but otherwise didn't ask me to withhold any information about my layoff. When I got back to our corner of the office, I almost immediately ran into one of our photo editors, who was probably my closest work friend. He asked how I was and I pretty much quickly said "Bad! I got laid off!" I've never been one for beating around the bush. I ended up having the same conversation with a few other coworkers before leaving the office for good.
What were those conversations like?
It was weird. Everyone was really nice and supportive. They offered to connect me with people who could help me find new jobs and editors who were taking freelance pitches. It was clear they were all really sad to see me go, which felt nice. It was more appreciated that the team made sure I was able to participate in a few traditions we had for people who had departed the team.
A week after my layoff, they all gathered for me at a bar near the office and had me sign this kinda dingy green gingham tablecloth, something that everyone who ever worked at Off Duty has done since before Covid. The editors and art team also mocked up a fake cover for me, with some very sweet cover lines. I still have it hanging up next to my desk at home.
Coming from media, do you feel desensitized to the potential for layoffs? Do you feel like a lot of your peers in the industry have been laid off before, or leftover after mass layoffs at their own companies?
Oh, absolutely. Even though this was the first time I had personally been laid off, basically every other media worker I know has had to deal with a layoff at some point. In fact, there have been layoffs at the last four media companies I've worked for while I've been working there, I've just been lucky enough to have been spared each time. It's always messed up, because 99 times out of 100, the reason provided has nothing to do with the individual person's action. And yet, the people who made the terrible strategic decisions that led to layoffs never seem to face consequences.
What do you think people are, for lack of a better phrase, missing out on at an age where layoffs happen over Zoom/virtually? Was there anything about your IRL experience that you felt helped you process, negotiate, or network that would've been more difficult remotely?
I have to admit, the physical act of leaving our office building behind felt pretty good. Taking a job at a paper I still admire, that happens to exist within a news organization I abhor, never felt all that natural to me. Being able to literally leave it behind, and just walk out onto the streets of New York was pretty cathartic. It would have felt really different to just like, close my laptop at my desk at home. I also think getting laid off in person gave me the chance to get that immediate support from the coworkers who were there. It was nice to be able to get that without having to like, type up an explanation.
What were some things on your desk? What did you pack up? What did you leave behind?
I left all the random books I had collected from our free table, but took my notebooks, pens, reusable mug, and the Senior Chang bobblehead I've carried with me from desk to desk since college.
Daniel Varghese currently works as the managing editor of Field Mag, a publication for lovers of good design and the great outdoors. He also writes Leg Day, a newsletter about pursuing joy as a city cyclist.
He’s open to other editing and writing projects, ideally about biking, menswear, gear, tech, and/or urban design. You can reach him on LinkedIn or Instagram.
Were you laid off in person? I’m collecting interviews through the end of the week at this survey, which you can fill out anonymously. The trend report drops next week.
Gentle reminder: Laid Off is kept afloat by paying subscribers who support the work.
If you like this newsletter and have the means, consider becoming a paid subscriber. At $5/month, that’s like one fancy coffee a month. Or the delivery fee on your DoorDash order. Or an impulse lip balm purchase at CVS. I appreciate you. Plus, you get access to Laid Off Trend Reports and the Laid Off Discord.
YESSS Duckbill!! literally lifechanging