“The art of not reading is a very important one. It consists in not taking an interest in whatever may be engaging the attention of the general public at any particular time. When some political or ecclesiastical pamphlet, or novel, or poem is making a great commotion, you should remember that he who writes for fools always finds a large public. A precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones: for life is short.”
TL;DR
Bending Spoons started laying off a “large part” of Airtable on October 12, 5 weeks after the deal closed, and still won't say how many.
Netflix is cutting about 1,000 people and Kroger 3,000 corporate jobs over 3 years, while September added just 29,000 jobs nationwide.
Move of the week: write your two-sentence layoff answer and say it out loud until it bores you.
📊 Poll of the Week
Did you get an interview this week?
🚨 The Big Story
Airtable's new owner cut deep in 5 weeks
What happened: On Monday, Bending Spoons started laying off a “large part” of Airtable, 5 weeks after its $1.285 billion purchase closed on September 4. It won't say how many; a spokesperson told Business Insider it couldn't share the number. Business Insider
The people cut leave by the end of this week with what the company calls “substantial separation packages.” Airtable's new product lead says engineers, PMs, and designers from elsewhere in Bending Spoons have already moved in. SF Chronicle
Why it matters: In August we wrote about what this company does to the people it buys. It planned to cut 75% of WeTransfer in 2024 (TechCrunch). Vimeo lost almost everyone about 4 months after its deal closed. Airtable took 5 weeks. If your employer gets bought, the clock starts at close, and this buyer runs it fast.
Our take: From what we've heard, plenty of people who stayed through the sale figured the dangerous part was over. That's a reasonable read, and this buyer has a habit of punishing it: the announcement is the warning, and the close is when the new owner gets the keys.
I was in Airtable's first layoff, in December 2022, one of 254 people. So we'll say this plainly to anyone reading from inside: the owner's post says the cuts weren't about your work. Believe that part, and use it (more on how below).
“Small teams ship more and better” is a fine slogan for a product roadmap. Bending Spoons posted it to explain why a large part of a company it had owned for 5 weeks was going home.
What to watch:
A real number. Airtable is based in San Francisco, so a cut this size should show up in a California WARN filing. When it does, we'll print it.
SB 951. Starting January 1, 2027, California WARN notices have to say when AI or automation drove a layoff. Bending Spoons framed this one around smaller teams and AI features, which is exactly the kind of cut the new rule will test, 11 weeks from now.
Your move:
Cut this week? Work through the first 4 steps on our Airtable page (next block) before you sign anything. If you worked in California, file for unemployment now: the EDD says severance pay doesn't affect your eligibility.
Company just bought, or a deal pending? Treat the closing date as day one of your search. Update your resume now and save your own records (offer letter, pay stubs, reviews) somewhere personal.
You ran this layoff? If you're in People at Airtable, you can sponsor 90 days of Offboard Pro for the people leaving. They claim it with a Google sign-in or an email link, and their search activity stays private.
📣 From Offboard
Offboard's Airtable Company Transition Center
One page for everyone leaving Airtable
Every date and figure we can find on the Airtable layoffs, each with its source, plus the first 4 steps of a layoff plan: write down your key dates, file for unemployment, read your severance agreement before you sign, and sort out health coverage.
Work in People at Airtable? There's a section on supporting the people who are leaving. We're building these pages for more companies as cuts land. Start with the Airtable page
📉 The Layoff Report
Netflix's 1,000, Kroger's 3,000, Microsoft's Israel trim
Netflix: October 14. About 6% of staff, nearly 1,000 people, with product, tech, legal, and HR hit hardest, per a memo from co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos. Its biggest round in years. Offboard's Netflix page
Kroger: October 12. About 3,000 corporate roles over the next 3 years, roughly 37% of its 8,200 corporate staff, as it builds AI into its workflow. CEO Greg Foran says details come later, so this is a 3-year drip with no names attached yet. Reuters
Microsoft: October 12. Dozens of development roles at its Israel R&D center, part of a global reorg. People who can't land another internal role may lose their jobs. Israel Hayom
Smaller cuts, same week: Character.AI filed for bankruptcy on October 12 and agreed to sell some assets to Disney for $20 million. Nordic telecom Telia plans to cut about 900 of its 14,100 jobs by year-end.
Bottom line: TrueUp counts 194,198 tech workers laid off in 2026 across 647 events, up 2,680 people since last week. Airtable's cut has no number yet, so the real figure is higher. TrueUp
🧠 The Hiring Manager’s Brain
Two sentences on the layoff, then move on
Recruiters want the layoff handled fast. Brittany Dolin, CEO of California recruiting firm PocketBook Agency, says to acknowledge it briefly, then talk about what you got done in the role and what you want next.
Her warning: the biggest mistake is over-explaining or getting emotional. If you were cut in an acquisition, you have something useful here, because the new owner said in public the cuts weren't about anyone's work. University of Denver
What to do about it: Write your answer today in 2 sentences, then say it out loud until it bores you. Template: “[Company] was acquired and the new owner cut a large part of the team. In my [N] years there I [one result with a number], and next I want to [target role].”
Want something to rehearse with? Interview practice in Offboard is now on the Free plan. Try it
✅ Your Moves this Week
Write your answer, read the fine print
Write your two-sentence layoff answer and say it out loud until it bores you. This is the move of the week.
Cut from Airtable? Work through the first 4 steps on our Airtable Company Transition Center before you sign anything.
Company just acquired? Save your offer letter, pay stubs, and reviews somewhere personal this week.
Answer the poll at the top: did you get an interview this week?
Take one walk this week and leave your phone at home.
A cut that came from a slogan says nothing about what you can do. Go show someone who's hiring.
You got this.
The Offboard Team