Current:Home > MarketsGen Zers are recording themselves getting fired in growing TikTok trend -Wealth Evolution Experts
Gen Zers are recording themselves getting fired in growing TikTok trend
PredictIQ View
Date:2025-04-09 06:54:29
If you're a manager planning to remotely lay off a younger employee, you may want to be ready for your close-up. Raised on social media, some Gen Z workers have taken to recording themselves getting fired and posting the videos on TikTok for all the world to see.
The trend, involving what appears to be authentic videos of individuals either in the process of getting sacked or reacting to the experience moments after getting the axe, includes workers from fast-food restaurants to office jobs to teaching. While some of the videos are comedic enactments, many are real, Jason Dorsey, author of "Zconomy" and president of the Center for Generational Kinetics, told CBS News.
"We're seeing it across every industry," he said. "The vast majority of the time that we're seeing it is real. People are filming getting laid off, they're filming walking out, they're taking the snacks on their way out."
One recent TikTok video by Brittany Pietsch, a San Francisco technology worker, shows the moment she got fired from her job at cybersecurity company Cloudflare. In the roughly 9-minute video, which went viral after it was posted in mid-January, Pietsch is seen looking visibly tense as she sits in front of her computer awaiting a virtual call with an HR person and director for the company. She notes in captions in the video that "coworkers had been getting random 15-minute call invites all day" and that her "work BFF" had been fired just 30 minutes before, leading the 27-year-old to expect the worst.
@brittanypeachhh Original creator reposting: brittany peach cloudflare layoff. When you know you’re about to get laid off so you film it :) this was traumatizing honestly lmao #cloudflare #techlayoffs #tech #layoff
♬ original sound - Brittany Pietsch
Then the worst arrives.
"I'm so sorry, my name's Rosie," says a plaintive-sounding HR member who is the first company representative to hop on the call. Soon after, a second company rep, described by Pietsch in captions as "a director man ive never heard of," launches into the actual firing.
"You have not met Cloudfare's expectations for performance," he says. "We've decided to part ways with you."
Pietsch, who had been working in sales for the company for only four months, defends her performance, asking for an explanation for the negative review in spite of having received what she described as positive feedback from her manager.
"I don't think Dom or myself today is gonna give you any clarity or answers that's going to meet the expectations that you're communicating to us, Brittany," the HR person tells her, adding later in the video, "I'm happy to follow up with you separately to give you the data that was calibrated. I'll need to speak with revenue leadership specifically to see if I can get that for you."
Employee POV
Pietsch is one of thousands of workers in the tech industry over the past year to lose their job, many shortly after being hired. Firings have particularly jumped in media, retail and technology sectors in a move to trim costs after overhiring during the pandemic and as they invest in AI.
Beyond drawing attention to an act that typically stays behind closed doors, the TikTok layoff videos also reflect how younger workers feel empowered by social media to speak out against their employers if they feel they're being treated unfairly.
"I have, like, really given my whole energy and life over the last four months to this job, and to be let go for no reason is like a huge slap in the face from a company that I really wanted to believe in," an emotional Pietsch tells Cloudflare reps in her video, which has been viewed by more than 23 million people on X, as reported by Business Insider.
Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince responded to the video in a post on X, calling it "painful" to watch.
"We fired ~40 sales people out of over 1,500 in our go to market org. That's a normal quarter. When we're doing performance management right, we can often tell within three months or less of a sales hire, even during the holidays, whether they're going to be successful or not," he stated, adding, "Importantly, just because we fire someone doesn't mean they're a bad employee. It doesn't mean [they] won't be really, really great somewhere else."
Deeply personal situations made public
Public reactions to Pietsch's video have been mixed. On Glassdoor, some commenters fault Cloudflare for framing what they say appears to be budgetary layoffs as a performance-based dismissal. Others describe Pietsche as "confrontational" and "toxic," with one commenter calling her choice to record and post the video "bad judgement [sic]." On X, by contrast, many comments express support for Pietsche, who many feel deserved a clear explanation from Cloudflare.
Cloudflare did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dorsey, who focuses on the differences between generational age groups in relation to business, says that for Gen Z, sharing deeply personal situations with tens of thousands of followers and speaking publicly about traditionally private matters is normal behavior.
"What's important is that many of the young people we see that post this on TikTok — remember, they've grown up on TikTok. They shared their setbacks, they've shared their breakthroughs — it could be a break up with somebody, it could be getting into college," he said.
"For many of them, [it's] the very first time they've ever been laid off. So of course they want everybody to know and then wait for the feedback to tell them whether or not it was the right decision," he added.
According to Dorsey, the main motive for many young people who share their personal trials and tribulations on social media is feedback, not monetization.
"They want to get the feedback, and oftentimes they struggle to have a vulnerable conversation in person, so they'll often have vulnerable conversations through technology," he said. "I talk to parents all the time, they're like, 'I can't get my kid to say anything important, like meaningful and vulnerable, but if I send a text they'll tell me everything.' This is just a normal way to be."
To be sure, there is money to be made for those who manage to attract a large number of followers on TikTok, Instagram or other major social platform, transforming them from mere user to influencer.
"Yeah, the reality is, not only has a generation grown up sharing everything, we have elevated the importance or the value of being an influencer, being a social media star. So instead of your 5 minutes of fame, you get a million likes or a million hearts. ... In our research we see that many in Gen Z, the influencer adds an actual career — so of course they're doing this."
Influencers with a fan base in the millions can strike brand deals ranging from $30,000 to $150,000, the Wall Street Journal reported in October.
Potential consequences
Influencer or not, however, those who stream videos of themselves being fired from their job risk facing repercussions, such as violating severance agreements, the BBC reported. Job termination videos can also backfire on those who post them if viewers find the post vindictive or unprofessional.
"Generally speaking, such moves are a double-edged sword. The literature on whistleblowers, a more extreme form of publicly sharing bad practices, shows that people get stigmatized for doing so," Ben Voyer, an ESCP Business School professor who founded the Gen Z Observatory, told Business Insider in a recent article.
"Generally, society doesn't reward people that engage in behaviors that some may see as a betrayal. Pushing such content online is a way to get moral support on the one hand, and a little revenge on the other hand," he said.
- In:
- TikTok
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Dockworkers’ union suspend strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract
- How Taylor Swift Gave a Nod to Travis Kelce on National Boyfriend Day
- Who killed Cody Johnson? Parents demand answers in shooting of teen on Texas highway
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Love Is Blind's AD Smith and Love Is Blind UK’s Ollie Sutherland Fuel Romance Rumors With Dinner Outing
- Mark Estes and the Montana Boyz Will Be “Looking for Love” in New Show After Kristin Cavallari Split
- The Hills Alum Jason Wahler and Wife Ashley Wahler Expecting Baby No. 3
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Aerial footage shows Asheville, North Carolina before and after Helene's devastation
Ranking
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- California collects millions in stolen wages, but can’t find many workers to pay them
- Alleged Kim Porter memoir pulled from Amazon after children slam book
- Ex-Houston officer rushed away in an ambulance during sentencing at double-murder trial
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- With 'The Woke Agenda,' Calgorithm propels California football into social media spotlight
- Greening of Antarctica is Another Sign of Significant Climate Shift on the Frozen Continent
- Toilet paper not expected to see direct impacts from port strike: 'People need to calm down'
Recommendation
The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark a near-unanimous choice as WNBA’s Rookie of the Year
Black man details alleged beating at the hands of a white supremacist group in Boston
Former county sheriff has been appointed to lead the Los Angeles police force
Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
Costco goes platinum. Store offering 1-ounce bars after success of gold, silver
Ex-Houston officer rushed away in an ambulance during sentencing at double-murder trial
Manslaughter case in fatal police shooting outside Virginia mall goes to jury