Career Plans Upended by Management Restructuring
Joe Friend, a director of product management who spent more than two decades across three separate stints at Microsoft, reportedly found himself among the thousands of tech workers caught in recent industry-wide layoffs. According to sources familiar with the situation, the 62-year-old manager learned in May that his position had been eliminated as part of broader corporate restructuring efforts.
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What makes this particular departure notable isn’t just the length of service—it’s the timing. Friend had planned to remain at Microsoft until at least age 65, a milestone that would have allowed most of his stock grants to continue vesting even after leaving the company. That retirement strategy now lies in ruins. “My plan was to figure out what I wanted to do over the next three years,” he told Business Insider. “Then all of a sudden I’m at the doorstep, and I have to make that decision now.”
The “Great Flattening” Hits Tech Veterans
Friend’s experience appears to reflect a broader trend within the technology sector. Industry analysts have dubbed the current wave of management reductions the “Great Flattening,” as major companies streamline organizational structures and reduce management layers. Microsoft reportedly cut approximately 15,000 positions across two rounds of layoffs this year, with company representatives indicating the moves were focused on simplifying operations.
Meanwhile, other tech giants including Google, Intel, and Amazon have announced similar initiatives to trim management ranks. While overall unemployment remains historically low, technology workers have borne a disproportionate share of recent job losses. The white-collar hiring slowdown has made finding comparable positions particularly challenging for experienced professionals.
For Friend, the layoff marked the first time he hadn’t chosen to leave Microsoft voluntarily. His history with the company dates back to 1994, when he joined as a lead program manager working on Microsoft Word. He left twice before—once for a six-year stint working for an international NGO in Indonesia, and another time to escape burnout—but always found his way back to the tech giant.
Broken Trust and Changing Priorities
What’s different this time, according to reports, is the sense of breached understanding between employee and employer. Friend suggested that Microsoft once maintained an implicit agreement with workers: strong performance would be rewarded with both financial compensation and job stability. He now believes that arrangement no longer holds.
“It feels like a betrayal, and it impacts me financially, but it’s not going to hurt,” Friend said of the layoff. His severance package, which included continued paychecks through mid-July followed by a lump-sum payment, reportedly amounted to nearly what he would have earned had he remained employed through year-end.
That financial cushion has given him space to reconsider his career trajectory. After consulting with a financial advisor about early retirement feasibility, Friend has transitioned to what he describes as a “semi-retired” status. He’s currently helping a young entrepreneur build a small business—work he finds meaningful despite the reduced financial reward.
Moving Beyond the Big Tech Model
The veteran manager’s story highlights a growing sentiment among experienced tech professionals questioning whether the Big Tech career path still delivers on its promises. After years in product management roles overseeing teams and complex projects, Friend now values purpose over prestige and compensation.
“I think I’d rather earn $50,000 a year doing something I’m excited about,” he stated. While he hasn’t ruled out returning to work entirely, he’s certain about one thing: “It certainly won’t be Big Tech.”
His perspective suggests that the industry’s management restructuring efforts may be creating unintended consequences beyond immediate headcount reduction. When veteran employees with institutional knowledge conclude that the trade-offs no longer justify the rewards, companies risk losing more than just positions on an organizational chart—they may be sacrificing the very talent that built their success.
