I'm 56 and got tired of being ghosted after job interviews. Here's the strategy that kept me moving forward.

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Michael Shmarak
Michael Shmarak

Taylor Glascock for BI

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Michael Shmarak, a 56-year-old communications and PR professional from Northbrook, Illinois. It's been edited for length and clarity.

Here's what Microsoft is offering laid-off employees in severance

Tech Insider : Business
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images

How Xbox became the poster child for the video game industry's struggle

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Visitors walk in front of the Xbox booth during the Gamescom video games trade fair at the Trade Fair Center in Cologne, western Germany, on the first day of the fair on August 20, 2025.
Microsoft's Xbox made some big bets that haven't paid off.

INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images

Microsoft's Xbox cuts 1,600 employees, with plans to shed 20% of its workforce this year

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Microsoft cuts 4,800 jobs across sales and Xbox. Read the memo.

Tech Insider : Business, Style, Technology
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

George Chan/Getty Images

I took a 50% paycut when I got laid off from Meta and started a coaching business. The transition was hard, but I feel better all around.

Tech Insider : Business
Woman who was laid off in business attire smiling
"I'm building a life I don't need to escape," says Chikara Kennedy, who launched a coaching business and moved to Mexico after her Meta layoff.

Courtesy of Chikara Kennedy

A top Goldman Sachs economist says AI will displace the jobs of 15 million US workers

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy, Business
A Goldman Sachs sign on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Joseph Briggs predicts 9% of the US workforce will be disrupted by AI.

NYSE

I was laid off from Disney after 31 years. Networking on social media helped me reach nearly 2 million people.

Tech Insider : Business
Chris Bess headshot
Chris Bess worked at Disney for 30 years.

Courtesy of Chris Bess

Big Tech is spending billions to not employ people

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Andy Jassy Amazon CEO
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.

Noah Berger/Getty Images for Amazon Web Services

Microsoft plans thousands of job cuts, impacting less than 2.5% of workforce

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Satya Nadella
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images

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