A former Microsoft employee, laid off nine months back, has still been struggling to find a job and faces the threat of losing his home. Mody Khan used to work as a cloud solution architect at Microsoft on a six-figure salary before he was let go. Microsoft laid off around 6,000 employees in May and another 9,000 in July in a major restructuring move aimed at reducing management layers and streamlining operations.
“I’m in a very tight spot,” he told Business Insider, explaining that his savings have dried out, and he is now on the verge of tapping into his investments.
Khan, who is in his fifties, told the outlet that securing a new job is crucial for financial stability, but even landing interviews has been a struggle.
“I’ve been constantly applying, and I’ve had interviews, but I’ve been turned down everywhere. It feels like recruiters are looking for Superman,” he said.
Stint at Microsoft
Khan moved to the US from Pakistan just a year before the 2008 recession. At the time, he faced severe challenges in finding work but eventually navigated through various roles before joining Microsoft in 2019.
He became a full-time employee in May 2020 as a support escalation engineer and was promoted to cloud solution architect in 2021. His role was remote until he was terminated over poor performance.
He told the outlet that several managers had raised concerns about his performance and even hinted at the possibility of his termination. While feedback was provided, he claimed the support needed to improve was lacking. At times, he felt like they were building a case against him rather than helping him succeed.
Khan recalled telling his wife at one point that he would walk away if he won a lottery.
“I hated going from the bedroom to my home office. I was under so much stress,” he explained the situation.
Poor performance, no severance pay
The man, who lives in Texas, said that he did not receive any severance pay as his termination was tied to poor performance. Although the management suggested he apply for other internal positions at Microsoft, he didn’t land one, even after claiming to have applied to as many as 30 positions.
He had also invested in Microsoft stock but now only has $10,000 left, in what he calls “survival money”, in his bank account. He estimates it will sustain him and his wife for two more months. After that, he would be forced to tap into his 401(k), an employer-sponsored retirement fund.
His credit score has also dropped to the 500s in just a few months from the earlier 600s due to missed mortgage payments. He now risks foreclosure if he cannot resume payments by November.
‘Companies take my resume, then ghost me’
Khan described how recruiters contact him, ask for his resume, but never follow up with job offers. “It’s a very, very dangerous situation,” he admitted.
“I’ve had so many good interviews where I’m ready for them to say, ‘Mody, let’s rock ‘n’ roll’ – and then they don’t move forward,” he further told the outlet.
He suspects that several factors are affecting his job hunt. His age may be a barrier, with recruiters favouring younger candidates. Many also prefer applicants with startup experience. Additionally, he believes his Pakistani origin may be a contributing factor, as biases against him could be influencing hiring decisions.