I received this email yesterday, which I found amusing in a sad way.
Hello, Thank you for booking time with me to discuss your background and opportunities at Microsoft. Unfortunately, I need to cancel our meeting because I will be leaving the company due to changes in our business and reduction in force in Talent Acquisition. I am grateful for my time here and recommend Microsoft to anyone. I wish you all the best in your career and your next opportunity!
I was in a job search from late August through early November last year. I've been around a while as a manager, including inside a FAANG, so I have lots of recruiting contacts inside those companies.
I estimate that at least 75% of my recruiter contacts (existing, plus new ones from the job search) have been laid off in the past 6 months. Ones least affected seem to be at smaller companies, though they're not immune either.
My interview "process" at Amazon was hilariously broken, as the following sequence happened:
1) Recruiter screen
2) Initial hiring manager screen
3) Re-org, so position went away
4) Recruiter radio silence
5) New recruiter for new role reaches out and we chat
6) New recruiter laid off
7) Another recruiter reaches out for previous role, and we chat
8) That recruiter laid off
9) I decide this isn't the time to try to move to Amazon
Hello, Thank you for booking time with me to discuss your background and opportunities at Microsoft. Unfortunately, I need to cancel our meeting because I will be leaving the company due to changes in our business and reduction in force in Talent Acquisition. I am grateful for my time here and recommend Microsoft to anyone. I wish you all the best in your career and your next opportunity!