Indian Man At Oracle Laid Off After 12 Years, Wife's Emotional Note Viral: "Worked Through Holi, Diwali"

A woman's emotional LinkedIn post about her husband losing his job at Oracle after 12 years has gone viral, sparking a wider conversation about how much employees sacrifice for their careers. Pooja Sahu said her husband, Sourabh, spent 12 years at Oracle and built much of his life around his work. According to her, he regularly put his job ahead of personal milestones, family occasions and even his own well-being.

"After working for Oracle for 12 years, all he got was being unable to log in to his system to get the news. I have never seen a person so hard-working and dedicated to his work," she wrote in the post. 

Sahu recalled several instances that, she said, showed just how committed her husband had been to his job. When she was admitted to hospital for surgery to remove polyps, he continued working from the hospital. During a family vacation in New Mexico, he remained on call while she drove.

He also worked through festivals such as Holi, Diwali and Rakhi, as well as birthdays, anniversaries and weekends. More recently, after the couple adopted a dog, Sahu said he continued working late into the night while also caring for the new pet, eventually falling ill from exhaustion.

"You could never see how much blood and sweat he poured into his job or the immense pressure he was under, because he always wore a smile and was there to help everyone around him. Not just me, but no one in our friends' circle ever saw him cribbing," Sahu added. 

She also listed his professional achievements, mentioning that he received a Best Employee Award. Following his job loss, Sahu used her LinkedIn post to seek opportunities for him. She also dedicated her message to people who continue working long hours to support their families while trying to give their best at work.

Several LinkedIn users questioned whether such extensive personal sacrifices are worth making for a corporate career, particularly when years of loyalty and dedication can still end with an employee losing access to their systems overnight.

One user wrote, "Here is the ugly truth, and no one will tell you, but I will. It doesn't matter how hard you work. When your role is no more, then you are no more. It happens to everybody. The best thing you can do is be prepared for that time. Work for yourself if you can figure out how."

Another commented, "Loyalty and hustle don't guarantee security. Twelve years, weekends, festivals, hospital visits — none of it created leverage when a layoff decision came. Companies optimise for business needs, not tenure or personal sacrifice, however unfair that feels. Overworking has a real cost, and it's not always rewarded. Working through his own health issues and missing family moments didn't buy him protection. It just meant he paid a price twice. Good luck for him."

"I am very sorry to hear this, Pooja—particularly after the extraordinary commitment Sourabh gave his organisation. His experience is a sobering reminder that professional dedication is not always reciprocated with institutional loyalty. I hope his ability, experience and generosity as a colleague quickly lead him to an organisation that values them properly," added a third.