Microsoft employee of 31 years thought his meeting went well. Next day he was laid off

A man who had been laid off from Microsoft after 31 years felt strongly that the news of his termination should have been delivered in person.

The tech layoff wave is hitting hard, and even employees with decades of loyal service are being impacted. One such tale is that of Mike Kostersitz, who was laid off from Microsoft after nearly 31 years of working at the tech giant. Since losing his job in May of this year, he has been searching for a new one.

Mike Kostersitz, 60, said his layoff from Microsoft came as a surprise. (LinkedIn)

"Me and 120 other anonymous faces got told our jobs had been eliminated," Kostersitz told Business Insider. He recalled that in May, he had a meeting with the manager, which he thought went well. However, the next morning, Kostersitz was marked for a high-priority meeting, where he received the bad news. He, along with 6,000 others, was laid off. The list also included his manager.

“Layoff came as a surprise”

Kostersitz shared that the sudden layoff came as a total surprise after spending 31 years at the same company. Since being laid off, he had interviewed at certain companies, including Nike and Nvidia. The techie shared that the interviews went well, but he still hasn’t secured a job.

The initial reaction:

Like anyone in his situation would, his first instinct was to be angry at Microsoft, a company where he had spent three decades of his life. He also wished the news of his layoff had been delivered personally.

“After 31 years, you would expect at least your manager or your VP or somebody to come to you and say, ‘Hey Mike, this is going to happen and here is why’," he told the outlet.

However, he is grateful for Microsoft's "55 and 15" policy. Under it, employees who are 55 or above and have been with the company for at least 15 years can retain their stock grants even after termination.

This is helping him financially while he looks for a new job. However, Kostersitz is aware that this cushion won’t last forever.

Originally, he planned to retire around 67, but this sudden change in his professional life has made the 60-year-old consider early retirement as an option.

"Technically, we could retire," he said. "Would it be a huge change of lifestyle? Absolutely."

Though he has experience, he is still facing difficulties in finding employment in the current job market. "They said it's a game of chicken right now. The person who has the longer breath and can stick it out longer will get the job."