The Weirdest Thing About Getting Laid Off in 2026
A real reality check
I got laid off in February.
I can’t say I didn’t see it coming.
But I also can’t say it wasn’t a surprise.
It’s one of those things where you feel the energy shift — but you don’t really believe it until it happens to you.
And here’s the weirdest part:
There’s no walk of shame anymore. Nobody watches you pack a box and leave. It’s just a video call. Your Slack gets deactivated. It usually happens at the end of the week.
And then everyone keeps it pushing.
That’s it. That’s how it ends now.
The First Thing You Feel? Relief.
All that stuff you stressed about at work? Gone.
The people you had weird energy with? Don’t see them anymore.
The meetings that could have been emails? Not your problem.
For the first time in a long time, your calendar is empty — and it’s yours.
Now — I’m not going to pretend there’s no anxiety. I have a family. I have kids. Insurance is a whole situation.
But at this point in my career, the good news is I have a lot of skills.
The challenge is just finding new ways to use them and still get paid.
So Here’s What I’ve Been Doing
Moving my body.
Walking and working out every day. Not because I had some grand fitness plan — I just needed to keep my mind right.
When your routine disappears overnight, your body is the one thing you can still control. So I controlled it.
Getting practical.
I pulled up AI and said: I know a lot of people are going through this right now — what do I need to be worried about?
Tidied up my finances. Looked at my numbers. Made sure I was okay for at least a little while. Updated my resume. Started applying to some jobs — not hardcore, but enough to keep the door open.
Going all-in on content.
That’s where the real energy went.
100,000 Subscribers
If you didn’t know — I hit 100K on YouTube.
That still feels wild to say.
And because of that milestone, I got invited out to LA for a YouTube workshop on brand deals and the YouTube Shopping program.
I’m going with my mom. Which makes it even better.
Here’s what’s funny: I was already tapping into the creator world before the layoff. But not like this. Not full-time. Not with this kind of focus.
And it’s already paying off — literally.
In my first month of being unemployed, I landed a brand deal. Money hit my account and everything.
Now I’ll be honest — the process was a little sketchy at first. That’s just how brand deals work. You do the work first, then you wait to get paid, and getting paid is never as simple as someone handing you cash.
There’s a whole process. If you want, I’ll break that down in a future newsletter.
Echo Cart Update
I’ve been heads down on Echo Cart.
If you go to echocart.ai right now, the site is up. I’d love to hear what you think.
Still working on the app functionality — but I’ve got time now. So I’m going deep on it.
The Content Shift
I think I’m starting to figure out a format that works on YouTube — but here’s the tension I’m navigating:
Sometimes you make content for views and attention. That’s top of funnel. It gets eyes on you.
But I’m trying to lean more into educational content. Stuff with real depth. The kind of thing that actually helps someone — not just entertains them for 60 seconds.
That takes longer to make. Editing is no joke. But you get better as you go.
And I’d rather build something meaningful than chase numbers.
What’s Next
I’m going to keep documenting and sharing everything here — the wins, the uncertainty, the real logistics of trying to go full-time as a creator.
I’m also going to be highlighting how I’m using AI in all of this. Because I’m pivoting into an AI architect role — not just talking about these tools, but actually building with them and helping other people do the same.
If you’re reading this, you’re early.
And I appreciate you being here.
Talk soon.
-Caleb