‘We lost our jobs overnight': Techie's Reddit post goes viral after sudden shutdown
A Reddit post titled 'Our startup shut down overnight—19 of us lost our jobs' has struck a chord with thousands online. Shared by a now-former employee, the post details how the team learned—through an urgent all-hands meeting—that the company had run out of funds and would be shutting down with immediate effect.
'It was supposed to be just another normal workday,' the Reddit user wrote. 'But around midday, we all got an unexpected email from the CEO calling for an urgent all-hands meeting.'
The mood quickly shifted from business-as-usual to disbelief. According to the post, the CEO informed employees that all investors had pulled out, and there was no money left, even for salaries. The company would cease operations immediately.
'We wouldn't be getting paid this month, and effective immediately, the company was shutting down… Just like that, a four-year-old startup was gone.'
What's shocked many online is the lack of warning. There were no prior signs, no layoffs, no bridge funding plans, just a sudden collapse.
'It still hasn't fully sunk in. We had our struggles, sure, but there was no communication that we were in real trouble,' the user added.
The anonymous poster, who says they worked in Rust programming for the past eight months, also used the platform to seek support, resume reviews, and job leads.
'I'm posting this partly to process everything, and partly to hear from others who've gone through something similar.'
The post quickly gained traction, with thousands of upvotes and hundreds of comments from users expressing sympathy, sharing advice, and even offering job referrals.
While the glamour of startup culture often dominates headlines, flexible hours, bean bags, and unicorn valuations, this post is a sobering reminder of its unpredictability. Behind the scenes, startups often operate with tight runway margins, investor pressures, and limited safety nets for employees.
With India and the global tech ecosystem experiencing a wave of layoffs and shutdowns post-pandemic and amid a funding winter, stories like this are becoming alarmingly common.
For many, the Reddit post serves as a wake-up call.
'I was exactly in this situation last month. I know how overwhelming it feels right now. Take some time to process it. Reach out to HR, they probably know people with openings for your experience, although chances might be small. Update your profiles, have some open source projects you can showcase on github. Keep applying.,' one commenter advised.
Another user advised, 'Notch up your skills and also start preparing for interviews. Actual work and clearing interview are two different things. So focus more on interview prepration. Ask AI to make mock interviews for you and dedicate max time in interview preparation alongside keep applying. Cold mail HR ( get emails from linkedin ) 3-4 time a week to same HR. Daily 15 mails.'
While the CEO reportedly promised to use his network to help the team find new roles, the employees were left questioning the lack of transparency that led to this sudden closure.
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