Techie Quits Block After Surviving Mass Layoff Despite 75% Pay Hike
A tech employee at Jack Dorsey’s Block resigned immediately after the company laid off 40% of its workforce, saying it felt wrong to stay while most of her team lost their jobs. She walked away even after being offered a retention package with a 75% salary increase and a one-time bonus.
In a LinkedIn post, the techie explained that continuing to work at Block under these circumstances felt “shameful and dehumanising.” She could not justify benefiting from a situation where many colleagues lost their livelihoods.
“My employer Block laid off 40% of its workforce on 2/26. I wasn’t affected… but I was affected. I decided to quit immediately on 2/27,” she wrote. “A company able to cut half its employees doesn’t need two weeks’ notice from me.”
Within a 10-minute window, nearly 70% of her immediate and sister teams were laid off, leaving only her and a new hire to handle the work. She described experiencing intense dread and survivor’s guilt.
Retention Offer Rejected
Block reportedly offered surviving employees large salary increases. The techie said:
“I was offered a pay increase of around 75% (90% including the bonus). Seeing my company let go of so many colleagues while I got a huge raise was not an honour — it was shameful and dehumanising.”
She added that many of her peers had families, medical bills, or visa concerns, and she did not want to profit from their hardship.
Questions About AI Justification
Block said the layoffs were part of an AI-driven structural shift. The techie questioned this reasoning:
“AI was pushed on everyone last year. Productivity gains were limited, yet it’s being used to justify cutting half the workforce. It’s dystopian to be forced to use tools that threaten your colleagues’ jobs.”
She added that employees had no real choice: “40% had no option but to take severance. The rest of us were offered large raises to clean up the mess. No thanks — I’m out!”
