Laid-Off Indian-Origin Engineer In US Told He's Being Replaced By Low-Cost 'Indians In India'

Layoffs have become increasingly common, particularly in the tech sector. An Indian-born software engineer, who was employed in the US, experienced a bizarre situation when he was laid off. Another Indian worker took his job! He talked about his experience on social media.

The engineer introduces himself and says he was recently laid off at the beginning of his one-minute video. "I work as a software developer. I used to work in technology, or at least I did until my team was laid off not too long ago," he claims. He then discusses his exit interview during which he discovered that the corporation was planning to replace all of the jobs of his team with Indian workers, including his own. Startled by this information, he mentioned that he is also Indian, hoping this would help him maintain his employment, but he was unsuccessful.

“If you keep me, I’m already Indian. We can replace the others with my friends,” he suggested to the company, even offering to move to India if needed. But his employers explained they were looking for people who would work for lower salaries.

"They said, 'No, you don’t understand. We are letting you go. We are moving the job to India to be done by Indians who will do it for less money,’" he recalled. His video quickly went viral, sparking mixed reactions online.

One user wrote, “It’s not about being Indian, it’s about being 90% cheaper” while another commented, “At least he didn’t have to train his replacements before being fired… there’s that.”

“Bro doesn’t get it. He’s being laid off because he’s expensive,” another user commented while someone else wrote, “It’s always funny when a super 'progressive' person gets a reality check.”

The video has received over 3 million views and more than 35,000 likes on the platform. A lot of stories about layoffs are viral on social media, illustrating how employees in all industries are being let go. To save money, Google recently let go of roughly 200 members of its "core team" and relocated some positions abroad.

What sets India apart?

Companies are searching everywhere for top talent in today's connected world, and many of them are employing remote developers in India. The nation's booming tech economy has gained international notice, thanks to its talented engineers, top-notch software workers. India has emerged as a global commercial partner. Indian IT professionals are having an impact on the USA, China, Canada, Japan, the UK, Switzerland, Germany, and New Zealand, among other countries. But what is setting the Indian workforce apart?

India offers significant cost savings in the software development outsourcing industry, with companies reducing IT spending by 20-30%, per Supersourcing. Even in Bangalore, India's most expensive IT hub, services are 140% cheaper than in California. Due to the cost advantage, which allows them to save 40%-70% over other regions, 59% of international businesses choose to engage remote developers in India.

For example, senior coders in the US make between $65 and $130 per hour whereas in India, the same work is done for $25 to $50. Because of this, India is a desirable location for outsourcing since it offers access to qualified workers at a reduced cost, enabling businesses to manage resources more effectively and make investments in other important areas.

India's dynamic and diversified environment sharpens developers' problem-solving skills, helping them to handle real-world difficulties with inventive and effective software solutions. The wide range of experiences encourages original thinking and creative problem-solving. Indian developers are highly skilled at comprehending local contexts and coming up with innovative solutions catered to the unique requirements of customers.