Writing for an AI astrology app to pay the bills

How 300+ people are making money after losing their jobs.

Apr 24, 2026

I’ve done a lot of reporting on the experience of getting laid off, and the immediate aftermath.

I’ve asked you about paying over $600 a month for COBRA, getting boozy milkshakes with your coworkers on your last day on the job, posting a crying video on your finsta, being let go when your company has over 110 billion dollars in the bank, the first thing you did after the news (overwhelmingly: crying), and what you named your group chats.

But what I keep coming back to is that moment you process: the direct deposit is gone.

And yes, a lot of people got severance, but it’s usually only a couple of weeks to a couple of months. And given what the job market looks like right now, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re covered until you find something else full-time.

At the same time, you’re applying for jobs, interviewing, doing take-home assignments that can take hours and hours. It’s its own kind of full-time job, except you don’t get paid for it.

So this report is really about what people are actually doing to make money while they’re in the thick of it. How are we paying the bills once the severance and emergency funds dry up?

A snapshot:

I received 349 responses from former workers at places like the US Department of Health and Human Services, YouTube, Thrillist, T-Mobile, Hachette Books, General Motors, Semrush, Paramount, Zillow, Meta, Rolling Stone, Lionsgate Television, Vox Media, Wall Street Journal, Nike, Stanford University, Architectural Digest, Edelman, Fast Company, Snap Inc, Walt Disney Imagineering, NBA.com, TripAdvisor, Spanx, Google, Hinge, Robinhood, Romper, Verizon, Intuit, Alaska Airlines, Block, and Billie.
Industries most represented: Technology made up 30% of respondents, followed by news and media (12%).
Did you get severance? 79% said yes.
Of those that got severance: 43% got 1-3 months, 19% got less than a month, and 13% got 4-6 months.
Did you have a savings or emergency fund when you were laid off? 83% said yes.

“Elon Musk tweeted that he fed USAID into the woodchipper. All my contracts were cancelled.”

— Former government contractor who did independent evaluations of USAID work in development projects in low and middle income countries

Greatest financial concerns, in order: Rent or mortgage and health insurance. Utilities, groceries, and childcare were the next most common. Some people also cited kids’ college tuition, burning through retirement accounts, taxes, accumulating debt, fertility benefits to freeze embryos, and general family planning.
The most common sources of income post-layoff, in order: Unemployment benefits, savings and emergency funds, severance, freelance and contract work, financial support from a partner or family member, credit cards and loans/debt, selling personal belongings, starting their own business, consulting or coaching, and a part-time job. People also cited small recurring revenue from a Substack or newsletter, renting out rooms in their home, sex work, and selling stock.

“Honestly, I am proud of myself for going through the bureaucracy of getting unemployment. There are so many forms and faxes and other crazy-making things that are hard to do when you are depressed, and I actually did them.”

— Former Digital Director at Rolling Stone

Where they’re at now: Most (46%) are actively looking for a full-time job and patching income together in the meantime. 18% have found full-time work, 15% are primarily freelancing while they look for full-time work, 8% are trying to make their side hustle their full-time thing, and 6% already have.
Of those actively looking for work: 42% apply to a few jobs a week, 37% apply to 5-10 a week, and 13% apply to 10-20.
Has being laid off changed your relationship to work? 89% said yes.

I asked for the most unexpected ways you’re making money after losing your jobs.

You’re leaning on content creation and affiliate links: UGC content for a dating app, “my wife and I started making adult content and it’s been a reliable way to pay for some of our bills,” TikTok Shop affiliates, starting a Substack, and content creation and ghostwriting on LinkedIn.

And your passions and niche interests: Giving educational talks on freshwater tropical fish, breeding and selling fish and jumping spiders, serving as an etiquette coach after looking up how to do it on ChatGPT, custom book binding, charging for photoshoots, teaching quilting and sewing classes, putting yourself out there as a caregiver since they’re supporting their dad through his ALS progression.

Gig, temp, and seasonal work like: Uber driving, dog walking for Rover, catering gigs, delivery driving for Shipt, substitute teaching, Upwork, side gig work with Amazon Flex, being a Christmas elf at the zoo, working at a Christmas village, judging for rhythmic gymnastics competitions, and driving for Instacart. “I was making $100+ a day, but I was averaging nine hours driving with gas prices going up. I was exhausting myself and once I ran out of gas I had to wait a few days before starting again.”

“I made $24 via affiliate marketing. A few people used my code to buy matcha and I received 10% commission although I don’t get to cash it in until I earn $100.”

— Senior Marketing Manager in San Diego

Reselling your stuff... and renting out your homes. Flipping clothing and shoes from Goodwill and other thrift stores to make a profit, selling baby stuff as he grows out of it, selling the devices they negotiated to keep in addition to three weeks of pay, selling clothes on Poshmark and eBay. “It turns out this is not really a viable way to make money.” Selling a few paintings on Facebook Marketplace that they ripped off of Pinterest inspo boards, subletting their rental apartment in NYC for 6+ months a year and moving in with friends in Bible Belt Alabama, and volunteering at a co-living commune in rural Mexico in exchange for free rent.

Family heirlooms and inheritance. Sold a family heirloom — autographs of Pink Floyd band members and crew from 1988 world tour — which was worth $1800, received beneficiary money from a late grandparent, got a surprise small inheritance from an unexpected death in the family. “Do not recommend.” Selling their late father-in-laws coin collection they found in 60 old peanut butter tubs for $3,600.

Scrappy entrepreneurship. Producing and selling merch for their Substack and zine publication, setting up a micro-enterprise home kitchen operation (MEHKO) in Los Angeles to sell meals out of their home, starting a permanent jewelry business with a $400 investment. Someone taught themselves how to count cards and started taking money out of casinos. “It's been a helpful skill to have, with flexible hours and good results — about $80 an hour — but I've been kicked out of a lot of places.”

“Secret shopping restaurants, which was usually just the amount of a free meal.”

— Former People Operations Manager at a billing software company

Contributing to the AI-ification of it all. Doing short-term AI training, writing content for a new AI-powered astrology app, teaching AI and creating a course on it, and training AI as a UX/UI design subject matter expert.

Your bodies. Donating plasma for money, inquiring about selling plasma in order to feed their child between jobs, participating in hospital research studies, joining a health care study where they wore a continuous glucose monitor, selling your blood.

“Selling my blood off my back porch for a fee as part of a colon cancer study. And preparing and leading tours at conferences on the trade show floor.”

— Former Researcher and Designer with Walt Disney Imagineering for 30 years