Pinterest Just Fired Engineers For Building a Layoff Tracker — Now Everyone’s Copying Their Method
Two engineers got canned for exposing who was getting axed. Their secret weapon? Watching when Slack accounts went dark.
What Just Happened
Pinterest cut ~15% of its workforce. Employees asked HR: “Who got fired?”
HR said no. “Privacy.”
Two engineers said screw that. They wrote a simple script: when someone gets fired, their Slack goes dark. Their name vanishes from the company directory.
They tracked these digital ghosts automatically → made a list → shared it with coworkers.
Pinterest fired them both within days.
CEO’s response at the all-hands meeting? “Find another job if you’re working against the company.”
Why You Should Care (Even If You Don’t Work at Pinterest)
- This works at ANY company. Slack, Teams, Google Chat — they all show when accounts go inactive.
- Companies hide layoffs on purpose. If you don’t know who’s gone, you can’t see patterns (entire teams? certain locations? your role?).
- These engineers just gave everyone a playbook. And now you have it too.
📖 The Full Story (What Really Happened)
The setup: Pinterest announced layoffs affecting “less than 15%” of staff, stretched through September 2026. Standard corporate move — vague numbers, no names, maximum confusion.
The ask: Employees wanted a simple list. Who’s gone? What teams? The chief security officer refused, citing “privacy rights” of the terminated employees.
The hack: Two engineers weren’t buying it. They built scripts to watch for digital death signals:
- Slack account goes inactive? Flagged.
- Name disappears from the company directory? Flagged.
- Calendar invites cancelled? Flagged.
They compiled everything and shared it internally so employees could actually see what was happening.
The response: Pinterest fired both engineers. Called it “a clear violation of Pinterest policy and of their former colleagues’ privacy.”
The same privacy they refused to protect by… telling people who was fired.
The math:
- ~15% of Pinterest workforce affected
- Cuts rolling through September 2026
- Company says it’s “reallocating to AI roles” (translation: replacing humans with bots)
- Two engineers lost their jobs for telling the truth
8 Ways to Spot Layoffs Before They Hit You
These work at almost any company. No coding required for most of them.
1. The Dead Slack Method (The One That Got Them Fired)
How it works: When someone gets fired, their Slack/Teams account goes dark. Profile pic disappears. Status goes blank. Messages stop.
What to watch:
- People suddenly “offline” for days in a row
- Accounts that used to post in channels → now silent
- Team channels that went from busy to ghost town
Real example: A product manager in São Paulo noticed her team’s Slack dropped from 50 messages/day to 8. She updated her LinkedIn and had three offers before the layoff announcement came.
No-code version: Just… watch. Notice who stops posting. If half your team goes quiet at once, that’s your signal.
2. The Directory Ghost Hunt
How it works: Most companies have an internal “people search” or employee directory. Names vanish when people leave.
What to watch:
- Screenshot your team’s directory page once a month
- Compare screenshots
- Count who disappeared
Real example: A systems guy in Berlin saved his company’s employee list every week. Spotted 23 “quiet departures” three months before layoffs were officially announced.
No-code version: Just screenshot the “Our Team” page. Set a phone reminder to do it monthly. Compare the pics.
3. The Ghost Calendar
How it works: When someone gets fired, their recurring meetings get cancelled. Their calendar bookings vanish.
What to watch:
- Regular 1-on-1s that suddenly disappear
- Team meetings that get cancelled with no explanation
- Managers who stop appearing on group calls
Real example: An analyst in Mumbai noticed her boss’s boss stopped showing up in everyone’s calendars. No 1-on-1s, no team syncs, nothing. Turned out the entire team was getting restructured. She jumped ship the next week.
No-code version: Check your calendar. When recurring stuff stops recurring, ask why.
4. The Badge Swipe Drop
How it works: Companies with office buildings have badge data. Fewer badge swipes = fewer people coming in.
What to watch:
- Your floor suddenly feels emptier
- The parking lot is never full anymore
- Badge-in numbers dropping (if you have access to that data)
Real example: An IT admin in Warsaw noticed 40% fewer badge swipes on his floor over two weeks. He had his resume out before HR even scheduled the announcement meeting.
No-code version: Trust your eyes. If the office feels dead, it might actually be dying.
5. The Work Queue Flatline
How it works: When people get fired, their work stops getting done. Their code commits stop. Their tickets stop getting answered.
What to watch:
- Coworkers who used to respond fast → now crickets
- Code changes that used to come daily → nothing
- Support queues going unanswered
Real example: A team lead in Lagos tracked how often his senior developers were pushing code updates. When two of them went from 15 updates/week to zero, he knew. Started interviewing that weekend.
No-code version: If someone who was always responsive suddenly vanishes, they might be gone.
6. The Hiring Freeze Signal
How it works: Companies almost always stop hiring before layoffs. They pull job postings. New hire announcements stop.
What to watch:
- Job postings for your team getting deleted
- New hire start dates getting pushed back
- Recruiters going quiet
Real example: A recruiter in Manila saw her company pull 12 job postings in one day. She warned three friends inside. All three survived the cuts because they’d already started interviewing elsewhere.
No-code version: Check your company’s careers page weekly. If jobs are disappearing, something’s up.
7. The Dread Meeting™
How it works: Emergency all-hands meetings with no agenda = bad news.
What to watch:
- “Company Update” meetings scheduled at weird times
- Mandatory attendance with no explanation
- Friday morning announcements (classic layoff timing)
Real example: An engineer in Jakarta got a calendar invite for “Company Update” at 8 AM Friday. No agenda attached. She polished her resume that night. The meeting announced 200 layoffs.
No-code version: Trust the vibe. Mystery meetings at weird times are never about pizza parties.
8. The LinkedIn Panic
How it works: People sense danger before the axe falls. Watch for colleagues suddenly polishing their LinkedIn profiles.
What to watch:
- Coworkers updating their profile pics
- New posts about their “achievements” and “impact”
- Sudden networking activity from people who never post
Real example: A marketing manager in Nairobi noticed three teammates suddenly became active on LinkedIn after months of silence. She knew something was brewing. Started her own job search immediately.
No-code version: Check LinkedIn. If your team suddenly cares about their profiles, they know something you don’t.
So You Spotted the Signs. Now What?
Immediate moves:
- Update your resume TODAY. Not tomorrow.
- Turn on “Open to Work” privately on LinkedIn (recruiters see it, your boss doesn’t)
- Screenshot everything: your projects, your wins, your metrics. They vanish with your access.
This week:
- Reach out to 3 people outside your company. Coffee chats. Reconnect with old colleagues.
- Check your emergency fund. Do you have 3 months of expenses?
- Export any work samples you can legally keep. Don’t be caught with nothing to show.
Don’t do:
- Panic-quit before you have something lined up
- Badmouth the company on social media (yet)
- Assume you’re safe because you’re “high performer” — layoffs aren’t always about performance
The 30-Second Version
Two Pinterest engineers got fired for tracking layoffs using Slack activity. The method? When someone gets axed, their digital presence dies — no more Slack, no more calendar, no more directory listing.
The playbook works everywhere: Watch for dead accounts, ghost calendars, empty offices, and LinkedIn panic. That’s your early warning system.
Pinterest called it a “privacy violation.” Everyone else calls it job security.
Source: Fortune
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