Sarah Whiteman
- Sarah Whiteman, 26, volunteered to be laid off at Amazon in January as part of its mass job cuts.
- She felt it was time to move on to something else: standup comedy.
- Whiteman described what it's been like since taking the leap from desk to stage.
This as-told-to article is based on a transcribed conversation with Sarah Whiteman, a 26-year-old former Amazon employee who volunteered to be laid off. Insider has verified her former employment. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I joined Amazon Web Services as a recruiter in April 2020, after being laid off from Nordstrom's finance department after the pandemic struck.