Software engineer's career disrupted after job loss and 800 rejected applications
A veteran software engineer with two decades of experience was laid off and subsequently rejected for over 800 jobs, reportedly screened out by AI systems. He now survives by delivering food and selling personal items, earning a fraction of his former $150,000 salary.
What happened
Shawn K, a 42-year-old software engineer with over two decades of experience and a university degree, was laid off in April 2024 from a metaverse-focused company.
He submitted more than 800 job applications over the following year but received fewer than 10 interviews, some of which were conducted by AI agents rather than people.
Shawn reported feeling 'completely invisible' and perceiving that he was being rejected before human review of his applications.
Reported impact
Shawn, who previously earned $150,000 annually, now lives in a small motorhome in New York City and works as a delivery driver for DoorDash to survive.
He generates only a few hundred dollars monthly through delivery work and selling personal items like used laptops on eBay, a fraction of his former salary.
Index analysis
Shawn describes himself as an 'AI maximalist' and acknowledges that if AI can do the job better, he would not complain about being replaced. His frustration centers on how companies deploy these technologies, rather than the technology itself.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.