I was laid off from Microsoft after 23 years, and I'm still going into the office. I feel responsible for my team and customers.

Business Insider

6 days ago

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Freddy Kristiansen, a 59-year-old former Principal Product Manager at Microsoft's Denmark office who was laid off in May 2025. Business Insider has verified Kristiansen's employment. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
A couple of weeks ago, after 23 years at Microsoft, I was laid off. Yet here I am, back in the office.
It might sound strange to show up at the office after being let go, but I still feel committed to the products, the people using them, and my colleagues.
I was laid off in May, and per Danish law as an employee of over nine years, I have a six-month notice period. I've been relieved of my duties, but I am still officially an employee until the end of November. I'm also entitled to three months of severance pay after my notice.
I didn't plan to stay at Microsoft for two decades
I was originally hired by Navision in 2002. I saw it as a job I'd stay in for a year or two, but shortly after I joined, Microsoft acquired Navision. From then on, I was a Microsoft employee.
That's when I thought, "Maybe this could actually be something long-term." Indeed, it ended up being my professional home for the next 23 years.
Over the years, I have held a variety of roles, from group program management to technical evangelist. Although I never had an official developer title, I have been developing products throughout.
My last major project was AL-Go for GitHub — a tool that helps our partners use DevOps, a software development approach, in their daily work without needing to understand the complex technical details.
I didn't expect to feel relieved when I got laid off
I've found the work fulfilling, but around five years ago, I started dreaming of my own business.
During the last round of Microsoft layoffs in 2023, I submitted an anonymous question during an all-hands asking if they would consider voluntary redundancies. If the option came up in the future, I might volunteer. It never did.
One morning in May this year, I got an invite to a one-on-one meeting with my manager. I said to my wife, "This is it. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be laid off."
I thought I might feel upset, but, in reality, it was kind of a relief.
Some of my colleagues were devastated. They are worried about what the future might hold. But I'm nearing 60. For the past decade, I've worked very hard and put in long hours. However, I'm at the stage of life where I'm no longer interested in working 60-hour weeks.
It felt like the right time to finally pursue my long-overdue dream of doing work on my own terms.
During that layoff call with my manager and HR, I wasn't sad; I was already thinking about what I wanted to do next.
I believe this new chapter will be good for me. I'll be able to take more time for myself, and hopefully I'll be less stressed as I can set my own hours.
Starting a business is my silver lining
My focus is now on figuring out a business plan that will allow me to deliver the most value to partners and customers in the least amount of time.
I plan to offer CTO services, project management, and maybe even some motivational speaking, while squeezing in travel and getting back into a regular exercise routine.
Since the layoffs, I've been reminding myself that every cloud has a silver lining. In Danish, we say, "Nothing is so bad that it isn't good for something."
In this case, the upside was the severance package. If I'd quit, I'd have received nothing. Because I was laid off after so many years of service, I was entitled to at least nine months of pay. I can use this package as a foundation to build toward my future plans.
I still am going into the office for talks and office hours
I still have an office access card and my company laptop, at the latest until December when I'm officially terminated. In the meantime, I'm still keen to be helpful.
I went into the office today because we had a call with our AL-Go for GitHub product users. Over the years, I introduced this tool to many customers and partners at conferences and in blog posts. I feel a responsibility not only to maintain the product but also to reassure them that they are in safe hands.
I'm also in touch with my former team. If they need my help, I'll answer questions, share guidance, or whatever else helps. There's no reason to stop doing that.
Next month, I'll be hosting a session for current staff — a kind of motivational talk about my career at Microsoft and the good, bad, and not-so-fun decisions I made.
One of those decisions was working my butt off for years. Nobody told me to spend 20 hours on weekends or to work as hard as I did, but I did it because it felt like the right thing to do.
I did it because I genuinely felt a connection to our partners, our customers, and my colleagues. And, honestly, I still do.