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- Google laid off 12,000 employees following cuts from other tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft.
- Insider spoke with one laid-off software engineer who requested anonymity to protect his career.
- He said the way Google conveyed the layoff felt inhuman. Read his story as told to Samantha Delouya.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a Google employee included in the company's 12,000-person layoff announced last Friday. He spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his career, but Insider has verified his identity and former employment. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.