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If you opened a 6 AM email today telling you that you no longer have a job — Oracle, Dell, Amazon, Meta, somebody in the latest round — you're not alone, and the next 48 hours matter more than the next 48 days.
This is a practical guide. It's specific to Austin. It's written for the engineer, PM, designer, recruiter, or operator who just got walked, who probably has a mortgage, and who doesn't have time for platitudes about "the next chapter." We've watched this play out across the city since the Oracle layoffs in March and the Dell layoffs the month before, and a few patterns have emerged that are worth knowing before you do anything else.
Key Takeaways — First 48 Hours
- Read the separation agreement before signing anything. A Texas employment attorney can usually review one for $300–500 flat. Severance is often negotiable; non-disparage clauses sometimes are too.
- File for unemployment immediately. Texas Workforce Commission processes claims faster when you file the same week. twc.texas.gov.
- COBRA is expensive but not the only option. ACA marketplace via healthcare.gov with a Special Enrollment Period — job loss qualifies — is usually 30–60% cheaper.
- Pause irreversible decisions for 30 days. Don't sell the house, move out of state, or start consulting full-time on a panic timeline.
- Update LinkedIn and tell your network this week, not next month. The first 30 days post-layoff is when warm intros work best.
Hour 1: Don't sign anything yet
If your separation came with a packet — and most large-company layoffs do — there's almost always a separation agreement attached. It will offer you severance in exchange for a release of claims. Sometimes it includes a non-disparagement clause. Sometimes it asks you to waive the right to sue for age discrimination, which under federal law (the OWBPA) requires you be given 21 days to consider it and 7 days to revoke after signing.
If your separation came with a packet — and most large-company layoffs do — there's almost always a separation agreement attached.
Don't sign on the spot. Don't sign in 24 hours. The standard playbook is:
- Read the entire packet — every page, every footnote
- Take a screenshot or photograph every page (companies have been known to revise terms after handshake agreements)
- Have a Texas employment attorney review it ($300–500 flat-fee for a separation agreement review is common in Austin)
- Negotiate before you sign — severance, healthcare bridge, equity vesting acceleration, references, non-disparage are all on the table
The Austin attorneys who specialize in tech-employee separation agreements are easy to find via the Travis County Bar Association referral service. Most do 30-minute free consults.
Day 1: File for unemployment
Even if you got severance. Even if you're convinced you'll have a new job in 60 days. Even if you "don't need it." Texas pays out for up to 26 weeks, and the eligibility window starts the day you file — not the day you're separated. Filing takes about 30 minutes online at twc.texas.gov.
The maximum weekly benefit in 2026 is $2,063 — that's roughly $107K annualized for context, though benefits cap at 26 weeks. Severance can offset benefits depending on how it's structured (lump sum vs. salary continuation), so disclose accurately and let TWC make the calculation.
If your separation agreement includes a non-compete, file for unemployment anyway. Texas non-competes are heavily restricted, and TWC will not deny benefits because of one in most cases.
Day 2-3: Healthcare bridge
COBRA is the obvious answer and usually the wrong one. COBRA continues your employer plan at the full unsubsidized rate plus a 2% admin fee — for a typical Austin tech family that's $1,800–$2,400/month. For an individual it's still $700–900/month.
$700
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For an individual it's still –900/month
The better option for most people is ACA marketplace coverage via healthcare.gov. Job loss qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period, meaning you can sign up immediately rather than waiting for open enrollment. The subsidies are real — a household making under $50K post-layoff often pays $0–$200/month for a Silver plan. Even at $100K projected for the year, subsidies typically still apply for several more months.
The catch: ACA plans have narrower networks than employer plans. If your wife's specialist or your kid's pediatrician matters, check whether they're in-network on the plan you're considering before enrolling.
For families with HSAs: keep contributing if your spouse's plan or your new ACA plan is HSA-eligible. The triple tax advantage is too good to abandon.
Week 1: Tell your network
The most counterproductive thing you can do post-layoff is hide. The instinct is real — embarrassment, shock, the urge to "have something figured out before I tell people" — but it costs you weeks of warm intro velocity that you don't get back.
The right move is a single, short, factual LinkedIn post or message blast within 5–7 days:
Last Friday I was part of [Company]'s reduction in force. I'm exploring [specific role types] in [Austin / remote-friendly / specific industries]. If you know of teams hiring for these or want to brainstorm, I'd appreciate the connection.
That's it. No defensiveness. No company-bashing. No vague "open to opportunities." Specific roles. Specific geography. Specific ask.
The first 30 days after a layoff is when warm intros work best because it's still news. After 60 days, your network has moved on to other things and your conversations get harder. Use the window.
The Austin tech recruiter map (2026)
The Austin recruiter market is concentrated around a handful of firms that actually know what they're doing. The rest will waste your time. The shortlist:
- Robert Half Technology — solid for mid-level engineers and PMs
- Continuum Global — strong for design and senior engineering
- Veritas — heavy enterprise SaaS focus
- Glocomms — for senior IC roles
- Kelly Mitchell (Austin office) — solid for product roles
Direct application is still the best path for senior roles. Recruiters work for the company, not for you. Their incentive is volume, not your career fit.
If you're considering going independent: Austin has a strong consulting market for senior engineers ($150–300/hr), product strategy ($200–400/hr), and design ($125–250/hr). The catch is that the first six months are mostly business development. Don't quit your job hunt to consult — consult while you're searching.
What not to do this month
A short list of regrets we've seen play out:
- Don't accept a salary 30% below your last role to "get something." You'll be looking for a new job in 12 months because the role was a downgrade in everything but title.
- Don't move out of Austin in a panic. The cost-of-living calculations rarely work out the way they look on paper, and you lose your network. Wait 90 days.
- Don't buy "career coaching" packages from anyone selling on Instagram. Real career coaches charge $250–500/hr and have actual track records. The $5,000 "transformation programs" are predatory.
- Don't drain the 401(k) early. A 10% penalty plus federal income tax can hit 35–45% of the withdrawal. Use HELOC, taxable brokerage, or a 401(k) loan if you genuinely need cash before unemployment kicks in.
- Don't take the first severance offer at face value. Severance is almost always negotiable, especially for senior employees and especially when you're being laid off as part of a mass action.
What Austin still has
The thing nobody says out loud: even with the layoffs, Austin tech is still better-positioned than most US tech markets. Apple, Tesla, Samsung, Indeed, Bumble, Cloudflare, Workrise, Procore, Atlassian, ServiceNow, Cirrus Logic, AMD — none of them are going anywhere. The H-1B churn we wrote about in why Austin looks different now is a separate story; the structural strength of the city as a tech hub remains.
Hiring is slower. Salaries are flatter. Title inflation is over. But the jobs exist, and they're more concentrated in Austin than in any city of comparable size other than San Francisco and Seattle. The right approach is patient, methodical, networked — not panicked.
Resources
- Texas Workforce Commission — file unemployment
- healthcare.gov — ACA marketplace, Special Enrollment
- Travis County Bar Association referral — find an employment attorney
- Austin Tech Alliance — local tech community + events
We've been writing about the Austin tech contraction since the HEB Letter and the Dell layoffs editorial. We'll keep covering it. Email us at t@austingallery.org if there's a layoff round we haven't covered or a resource that should be on this list.
Email us at t@austingallery.org if there's a layoff round we haven't covered or a resource that should be on this list.
Take a breath. Read the agreement carefully. Don't sign anything for 72 hours. The next decision matters more than the speed.
