Data scientist rejected 75% raise and chose layoff instead — the reason earned her coworkers’ respect
'I’d rather see my peers keep their jobs than personally profit from their trauma,' she said
Sometimes life leads us to critical crossroads where we have a choice: to disregard others and continue down our path or to stand up for what we believe is right. A former Block Inc. data scientist, Naoko Takeda, who had been an employee at the company for 2 years, chose the latter. Earlier this month, her company laid off nearly 40% of its employees to improve AI-driven efficiency. She was among the few who survived, and awaiting her was a 75% hike and a "retention bonus," but she didn't take it, as per Business Insider.
Takeda's fight for 'honor'
Instead of taking a hike and living her best life, Takeda decided to make a statement, as she detailed her LinkedIn post. "So basically, I saw my company discard half of my peers and double my pay. That’s not an honor. It feels shameful and dehumanizing. I’d rather see my peers keep their jobs than personally profit from their trauma," she wrote. This came after she mentioned that nearly 70% of her immediate team and sister team members were let go from their jobs.
After this, she realized that accepting this money meant endorsing a corporate culture she no longer respected. In a move that stunned everyone, she then quit immediately, walking away from the windfall while providing a strong reminder to the world that sometimes the cost of keeping your integrity is higher than any paycheck. While Block has framed its massive workforce reduction as a necessary shift toward an "AI-first" infrastructure, the remaining staff has been left to grapple with "guilt bonuses" seemingly designed to buy loyalty.
AI-driven job cuts will only get worse
Even if Takeda made a strong statement, that will not change the reality that's in motion. According to a survey by the National University, nearly 30% of jobs across the U.S. will be replaced by AI. Meanwhile, nearly 60% will see changes to their job tasks with AI integration. Moreover, a whopping 300 million jobs will be wiped out by AI by 2030 worldwide, representing nearly 9.1% of jobs. While this influence will impact all age groups, researchers believe that Gen Z will be the most impacted by this.
Young workers to struggle more with AI
Workers aged 18 to 24 are almost 129% more likely than those over 65 to worry AI will make their job obsolete. In fact, 49% of Gen Z job seekers believe that AI has reduced the value of their college education. This makes a lot of sense given that entry-level jobs have been especially at risk, with nearly 50 million jobs being affected. This is quite concerning, to say the least, and it shows why people were in awe of Takeda, who decided to put ethics over money despite so much chaos in the job market.
Viewers' reactions
"You are the future. My heart is warmed and hopeful that my children someday will work for a leader like you," Arthur Gjika wrote under Takeda's LinkedIn post. Meanwhile, Dhanashree Lele commented, "I have rarely developed such deep respect for someone through a LinkedIn post as I have for you. Your courage is remarkable, and your response may be one of the few meaningful ways to stand up to the increasingly dehumanizing nature of layoffs, where people are often treated as expendable."
More on Scoop Upworthy
Employee was being mistreated at her workplace. So, she took up a job with their competitor
Worker let go for being 'too expensive' brilliantly reminds former company of their worth
Share on Facebook
