Last Updated:February 17, 2026, 09:57 IST

After 11 years at Amazon, the Indian-origin techie who lost his job shared that his teenage daughter helped him stay positive.

He is now learning AI and working on a side project. (representative image)

Losing a job after more than a decade at the same company is never easy. For this man, it came as a sudden shock. The Indian-origin tech professional, Hemant Virmani, who lives in Washington, had worked at Amazon for over 11 years before he was laid off in October 2025.

In an essay published by Business Insider, the 47-year-old opened up about how he dealt with the setback. He also shared how his teenage daughter’s resilience during her own difficult time changed the way he viewed his situation.

Layoff Email Changed Everything Overnight

Virmani said he found out about the layoff through a middle-of-the-night email. “Amazon was part of my daily life for 11.5 years, and suddenly it was gone,” he told Business Insider. He had been working as a senior software development manager.

He admitted there is “no right way or easy way” to conduct layoffs. While he had seen others lose their jobs in 2023, facing it himself felt very different. The next morning, he had a 30-minute meeting with his manager, who shared the news in what he called a “positive, human way.” A former manager also met him at a coffee shop to check on him.

Daughter’s Strength Gave Him A New Outlook

In the first few days, Virmani said he struggled to accept what had happened. But he began thinking about how his daughter had handled a difficult time in her own life the year before.

“She had an adverse situation happen to her last year that required recovery. How she reacted in that difficult time inspired me. Her mental model was: ‘Challenges don’t have to keep me from showing up for myself or for others.’ Her positive attitude was an inspiration for me to do the same,” Virmani recalled.

“I kind of learned from her that I had to take this layoff with positivity, keep my cool, and focus on what was next,” he added.

Soon after, he faced another personal loss when his father passed away. He travelled to India and spent about a month with family, thinking about his life and career.

Focusing On What Comes Next

Virmani now calls the break a “refreshing change.” He said he is less worried about the brand name of his next company and more focused on meaningful work. He has started learning more about artificial intelligence and is working on a hobby AI project.

He is applying for head-of-engineering roles and networking actively. He is also taking care of his health, going to the gym several times a week.

“My advice to anyone undergoing layoffs is to realise that layoffs are not about you. It’s about an environment that is driving layoffs. Secondly, now that this has happened, you can’t go back in the past and change it. Look forward to what you can do next. How you react is very important,” he said.

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A power firm has announced a multimillion-pound investment in the subsea cable network serving Scotland’s islands, in a move expected to create “thousands of high-quality green jobs”.

SSEN Distribution is set to upgrade its network of 113 subsea electricity cables, which provide power to 60 islands, saying it will improve resilience and increasing capacity to meet growing demand.

The work is set to support more than 450 specialised jobs each year for up to eight years – which the company said equates to or more than 3,500 fixed-term roles in and around installation sites and at company bases.

SSEN said the investment – worth up to £950 million – will enable islanders to connect new technologies like electric vehicle (EV) chargers, solar panels and heat pumps to the network.

It is also expected to benefit local energy generators looking to produce and export green power, and to support the decarbonisation of island-based industries such as distilleries.

The announcement was welcomed by Energy Secretary Gillian Martin, who said it would help the country achieve its net zero target.

“This welcome investment by SSEN Distribution will help upgrade the subsea network serving Scotland’s islands, improving its resilience and supporting Scotland’s net zero ambitions,” she said.

“It will also support thousands of high-quality green jobs and drive new growth across the local, regional and national economies as part of our net zero transformation.”

Kevin Galbraith, SSEN Distribution’s subsea project director (large capital delivery), said: “Subsea connections are becoming ever more important as Scotland’s island communities seek to invest in EV charging, heat pumps, and the decarbonisation of their industries.

“In addition to providing the networks fit for supporting this growth in the use of clean power, these framework agreements will also underpin the ambitions of islanders to generate, store, and export more renewable energy.”

The work of upgrading the network will be delivered by five “contract partner” companies, with a “strong focus” on using locally-based supply chains.

The firms are Burntisland-based Briggs Marine; DOF Subsea UK and N-Sea, both of which have bases in Aberdeen; and Enshore Subsea and Jan De Nul.

Specific projects will be allocated according to each contract partner’s specialisms and resources.

SSEN said working with multiple companies will enable multiple subsea cables to be upgraded at the same time during the relatively narrow summer window, when weather conditions are more favourable.

Mr Galbraith went on: “The agreements themselves will ensure delivery of this investment will be rolled out in a seamless, co-ordinated way, and this will provide both customers and supply chains with the certainty they’re looking for.

“This multi-year investment will also provide greater job security and new opportunities for employment in this growing sector.”