Technical professionals should take note of what is going on here, and learn from it.
Throughout my career, I have seen a lot of very talented people get caught up in corporate layoffs, where the reaction was very similar to this. "I can't believe they let them go, they were so crucial to !"
Inevitably when this happens, XYZ Project was a "side project". The employee may have had full authority and blessing from their management on the project, but it wasn't what the employee was actually hired to do.
People need to understand that at the end of the day, the expense of your salary is showing up in a balance sheet that has revenue and expense. Every salary has to be tied to one, at some level. When layoffs come down, the first thing that upper management does is look at divisions with declining revenue, and seeks to trim expense. If your side project is not bringing in revenue, then you are an anomaly - and thus will inevitably be scooped up in the layoff.
There are three ways to avoid this from happening to you
- You can avoid side projects totally. This is *NOT* what I recommend, as these are the kinds of projects that help propel your career, and make the difference between who moves up and who stays stagnant.
- You can ensure that, while you may work on a side project, your "day job" is always in a part of the company that has growing revenue. This takes discipline. You need to pay attention to the quarterly all-hands, and how the business is doing... if the business line you work for is doing poorly for multiple quarters - then seek to transfer. You can always take your side project with you!
- The final method is the hardest, but can be the most successful - try to make your side project revenue-generating in some capacity. Many of the largest innovations in our industry started out as side projects. Do not rely on a product manager or external party to figure out how to make revenue - do it yourself.