Tech Specialists, Previously with Google, Join Forces for a Fresh Startup
In the first few weeks of 2023, the tech industry was hit by a wave of layoffs as companies grappled with economic uncertainty and the fear of a looming recession. Among the major tech giants, Google, Salesforce, Zoom, and eBay announced layoffs affecting a combined total of over 35,000 employees.
One of the most significant layoffs was at Google, where around 12,000 employees were affected, amounting to about 6% of its workforce. Henry Kirk, who had worked at Google for nearly a decade, was among those let go. However, Kirk views his time at Google as a valuable learning experience, referring to it as "Google University."
In the aftermath of the layoffs, Kirk and several other ex-Google employees have decided to join forces and establish a new design and development studio. The company, which is yet to be named, will operate in New York City and San Francisco. Kirk and his team plan to focus on providing research and design tools for other companies' websites and apps, engineering projects for businesses, and helping startups and funding.
Kirk is looking for opportunities where his team can help a business grow from 0 to 1 or 1 to 100 through their end-to-end software services. He shared his story on LinkedIn, appealing for introductions to his network and asking for likes and reposts to spread the word about his new venture.
Six ex-Google employees will join Kirk in his new venture, with seven more eager to research, design, and develop the most scrappy to ambitious software projects. It is not yet clear what the specific focus of these new companies will be, but given the ongoing hiring and restructuring toward AI and other emerging technologies, it is possible that some of these laid-off employees may be founding companies in these future-focused areas.
Other tech companies also announced layoffs in early 2023. Salesforce announced layoffs affecting 10% of its employees, while Zoom announced layoffs affecting 15%. eBay announced layoffs to help the company focus on growth, acquire new technologies, and deliver improved end-to-end experiences for customers.
While layoffs were significant at Google in 2023, there is no publicly consolidated dataset or comprehensive reports on how these specific laid-off employees are establishing new companies now. Many tech workers laid off from companies like Google often pursue entrepreneurship, but concrete, named examples or trends for the 2023 group are not available.
As the tech industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how these new ventures pan out and whether they will help to drive innovation and growth in the sector.
Henry Kirk, an entrepreneur with a decade-long experience at Google, views his layoff as an opportunity to establish a new design and development studio, focusing on providing research and design tools for other companies' websites and apps, engineering projects for businesses, and helping startups grow through end-to-end software services.
In this new venture, Kirk and six other ex-Google employees aim to leverage their skills in technology to drive innovation and growth, potentially venturing into future-focused areas such as AI and other emerging technologies.
