After 13 Years At Meta, DJ-Turned-Engineer Shares Shock Over Unexpected Layoff

Henry Chen, a DJ-turned-engineer, opened up about his career journey after recently getting laid off from Meta in May, a decision that caught him off guard despite spending around 13 years at the social media giant. Before transitioning into tech, Chen worked as a professional DJ. But the 38-year-old, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, successfully broke into the industry, securing a role at Facebook (now Meta) 13 years ago.

"I started at Facebook as a contractor in 2012 and worked my way up into a full-time engineering role. After more than 13 years with the company, I was laid off in May," he told Business Insider.

"I'm grateful for everything I learned during my time at Facebook, later Meta. Overall, it was a very positive experience. But after the company's major layoffs in late 2022 and early 2023, things started to change," he recalled.

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Following those initial layoffs, the workplace culture shifted toward "doing more with less." He said that after a year and a half, priorities changed again, this time toward building.

"Between leadership changes and shifting priorities, it became harder to know where my team was headed and what we should prioritise," Chen said.

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These internal changes proved particularly challenging when Chen took paternity leave from August 2025 through late that year. "By the time I returned to work, the company was using AI much more extensively, there had been team and leadership shifts, and it took me some time to get reacclimated," he noted. "After being away for four months, felt like the whole company had changed."

Chen's story reflects a broader trend across the tech sector, where ongoing restructurings and cost-cutting measures continue to impact employees at every level.