A 24-year-old Meta data scientist laid off after less than a year with the company said the experience has shifted her perspective on careers in the tech sector. “Artificial intelligence is already changing jobs and causing professionals to rethink their future,” says Moyan Chen, who lives in New York City.
A Business Insider report said Chen lost her place at Meta in May after months of uncertainty surrounding potential layoffs. While the layoff was a shock, the waiting period before the decision was announced was even harder, she said. Chen said looking back on the experience, she thinks AI helped change the course of her career. Ultimately, it feels like I lost my job to AI.”
Weeks of uncertainty before the Meta layoff
Rumours about Meta job losses started circulating in March, but staff did not know when the cuts would be made,' said Chen. The uncertainty made workers anxious, especially since the company had announced layoffs on some days.
“Some of my colleagues and I were dreading Wednesdays because Meta has sometimes laid people off on those days. So every Tuesday night when I left work I wondered if I was coming back. She said she started looking at her email early Wednesday mornings, hoping for some information on her job status. That continued for weeks, and then came word the layoffs would come May 20. When the day finally arrived, Chen said the feeling was different than she anticipated. When the day finally came, and I got laid off, I was like, 'This is it. It was a sense of relief, not of hurt.'
Big tech jobs no longer feel secure
Chen said the layoff made her question the idea that working at a major technology company guarantees long-term stability. She said many of her former colleagues are now searching for new roles, sharing updates online and looking for opportunities.
"A lot of my coworkers were also impacted, and they're trying to find jobs. They are making posts on LinkedIn and asking for new opportunities."
She compared the situation to workers being on a large ship while the technology industry faces a major shift because of AI.
"It feels like we are all sailing on the sea, and Meta is a huge ship that's moving very fast. When the AI storm comes, is your next move to jump to a smaller, slower ship?"
Chen said some professionals believe moving to industries such as finance could provide more security because they may adopt AI at a slower pace. However, she questioned whether any field would remain untouched by automation.
Layoff pushed her to rethink career plans
Chen said she was not extremely worried after losing her job because she is single and does not have a family in the US. She said returning to China is an option, although she enjoys living in New York City.
The experience also changed her view of corporate careers. After working at and interning with large companies, Chen said she no longer feels focused on following a traditional corporate path.
She previously stayed in her job because she worried about financial security outside a big company.
"How am I going to feed myself if I don't work for a big company?"
But after the layoff, her thinking changed.
"Now I feel like it's not safe anymore, like I can get laid off at any time."
Chen said Meta's severance package has given her time to decide her next move.
AI is changing the role of data scientists
Chen worked as a data scientist on Instagram at Meta. She said many routine parts of the job are already being affected by AI tools. Tasks such as writing queries, creating visualisations and analysing basic data are becoming less valuable skills on their own, she said.
"If you only know how to code, that's not enough. If you're just writing SQL queries, using Python, or tracking and analyzing metrics, it's not a very promising career anymore."
According to Chen, future data scientists will need broader knowledge and the ability to work across different areas instead of focusing only on technical skills.
She said AI is creating demand for professionals who understand business problems, products and strategy along with technology.
AI tools becoming part of everyday work
Chen said AI has become highly accurate for many specific tasks. She explained that there were situations where AI-generated work was reliable enough that she did not always need to manually check every output.
"It got to the point where I wouldn't check AI-generated queries because they have gotten so accurate." However, she said AI still struggles with complex projects that require human judgment and decision-making.
Chen said she is less interested in AI as only a technology and more interested in how it changes the way people work.
Exploring a different future after Meta
After the layoff, Chen started sharing her career journey online and documenting what she is learning about AI. She is also exploring career coaching to help people dealing with changes brought by new technology.
"I'm still in a transition period and don't have all the answers. Seeing how AI is changing things, it makes me rethink the type of job I might want."
She said she would consider joining an AI startup if she finds a company that matches her interests and values.
Chen acknowledged that startups carry risks, but she believes staying in traditional roles focused only on data analytics and reporting could be a bigger risk in the long term.
"Those companies can be risky, but staying at a big company doing traditional data analytics and reporting jobs just feels like I will be left behind. That's riskier in the long term."
