2 high flying startups (Cameo, MainStreet) just announced they are laying off 25% and 30% of their company this evening. This on the heels of Netflix, Robinhood, Facebook, and a bunch of others recently announcing.
Within the next 2-3 weeks, hundreds of companies will follow suit. That day we've been talking about since mid-March? It's here.
I'm afraid tens of thousands of salespeople are about to lose their jobs. I want to help them stay on their feet, find good work, ensure their families don't suffer, etc. This is the part of the high growth tech world I hate... how it impacts employees' lives when companies overspend then cut without a second thought. 😢
I need ideas. What can we do as a community to support these folks? Here are some things we've been discussing internally:
- Paid Mentorship: Lots of companies won't be cutting headcount, but will still get laser focused on productivity from team. underperformance will be met with a swift axe. What if we build a marketplace where reps who got laid off (not because of performance, but because their companies' fucked up) can get matched with reps who need help in a specific area? Either the employer could pay for it ... or rep could pay out of pocket?
- Outsourced Sales: If companies can't keep reps on a full time basis, maybe they can do short-term contracts where the rep gets paid for every intro they make or to assist on a specific deal. Even if a sales team has layoffs, they still need to hit quota.
What else?? No idea too dumb or too outlandish. (And no, that's not an invitation to be a jerk)
I'd love if we as a community could rally behind those affected.
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