July cuts fell to 33,429, the fewest in any month since 2024. Hiring plans jumped to a four-year July high, and Challenger drew a line in the sane: AI is shifting the labor market, but it is not dismantling it.

Needless to say, all of us were thrown for a loop when the layoffs happened. That day, I did some research into the WARN Act and was just as confused. How was our company able to do a massive round of layoffs without triggering this rule?

When I was at a small, fifty person startup, the news that our founders were selling to private equity was met with a lot of panic. What is going to happen to us? What is this new company like? Will we still get to keep the perks we have enjoyed as a small company?

Losing your job is stressful enough without having to figure out how you are going to afford basic medical care with no income and now potentially no insurance coverage. The good news is that you have several ways to stay covered, and at least one of them is almost always more affordable than people expect.

I could tell that things weren't going well with the company and there were subtle signs that layoffs or outsourcing might be imminent. But I wasn't sure at first if I was being overly anxious or if the signs I was seeing were a real marker of things to come. Well, it wasn't long before new executives came in who wanted to talk about how great the new office in India was doing... and how excited we should be at its progress. Like... how dumb do you think we are? Annoying.

What makes this moment particurlarly striking is that it isn't just about one sector or one company.