Imagine this plausible scenario: Charlie, Wayne, and Russell are neighborhood friends. Charlie is the class clown and a natural-born Mr. Fix-It. You have a broken widget? Count on Charlie to fix it. Wayne is a bit more serious than Charlie. Wayne likes math, and he’s supremely confident in his abilities; his confidence borders on arrogance. Russell, the most serious of the three friends, also likes math, and he is laser-focused on a career in cybersecurity.
Following high school graduation, Wayne enrolls at UC Berkeley, Russell enrolls at Stanford, and Charlie chooses to take a year to enjoy life before college. As the year progresses, Wayne is having an up-and-down spell at Berkeley, Russell is excelling at Stanford, and Charlie is working at Home Depot when he’s not at the beach surfing.
By the end of that first year, Wayne’s grades have improved, Russell is at the top of his class, and Charlie has made a new friend who has asked him to join his construction company.
Fast forward five more years. The three friends—who communicate rarely now—are 25 years old. Charlie is a junior vice president at Harmony Home Builders; his annual salary is $120,000—and he still has time to enjoy surfing. Russell just got his dream starting job as an IT Cybersecurity Specialist in DC; his annual salary will be $90,000, and he will work long hours to earn it. Meanwhile, Wayne, recently hired to eliminate wasteful government spending as a member of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, will be paid $167,000 annually, and he’s having a blast laying people off from jobs that pay half what he makes.
April 7, 2025: Wayne’s latest target for layoffs is Veritas Cybersecurity Inc., a federal contractor in the nation’s capital. As Wayne scans the names and salaries of the company’s probationary employees, he comes across one that looks familiar: Russell MacLaren. “Could it be?” he whispers to himself. Russell wanted to get into cybersecurity, he recalls. “No,” he tells himself, “It can’t be.” Mustn’t allow myself to consider that possibility. I have a job to do. Even if it is Russ, I can’t…
April 9, 2025, 6:30 a.m.: Russell sits down at his desk and sees an envelope on his laptop keyboard. He opens it and reads:
Dear Russell,
This letter regretfully confirms that you are being laid off from your position as a Cybersecurity Specialist at Veritas Cybersecurity Inc.
In its efforts to cut government waste and improve efficiency, the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency has determined that VCI’s federal contract must be reduced by one-third. Doing so requires that VCI eliminate all probationary employees. And that, unfortunately, includes you.
The termination will take place immediately. Please take this letter to HR where you will be given the complete details about your severance package.
Best wishes in your new job search.
Russel’s shoulders slump and he shakes his head in disbelief. After seven years of grueling studies and nearly $175,000 in education expenses, Russell is now unemployed. If the termination had occurred a few months earlier, during the Biden years, at least Russell might have qualified for student loan forgiveness. But forgiveness is not a key attribute of the new administration. So, Russell consoles himself with the assurance that he has a top-notch education and a good work ethic; he’ll find a new job. But Russell soon learns that he’s competing against hundreds of others with similar credentials in a depressed job market.
Four months later, as his job search continues, Russell is being hounded by creditors and collection agencies. Meanwhile, Charlie’s salary has been reduced as the housing market declines. But Wayne just got another raise; he’s now on a trajectory to make $180,000 for the year.
Russell finally finds a job, as a junior accountant with a $50,000 annual salary, nowhere near enough to cover his living expenses and repay his education costs. On a whim, Russell calls his old school friend Charlie Adams. Like Russell, Charlie was recently laid off due to the economic downturn. Perhaps, they ponder, they should combine the $5,000 stimulus checks the government recently sent them in an effort to start their own business. Maybe $10,000 would be enough to start a small business.
“Hey, Charlie,” “Russell says, “maybe we should try to track down Wayne. Maybe he’ll want to invest his $5,000 and join us.”
“Great idea,” Charlie replies.
September 12, 2025: Russell and Charlie have found Wayne’s phone number. They call him. Wayne answers.
“Wayne, Russell and Charlie here. How are you, man? You doin’ okay?”
Wayne blinks in surprise. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m doin’ great. How about you guys? What are you up to?”
“Wayne, you might not believe this, but we’re looking at starting a business together,” Charlie says.
“Dudes, that’s awesome. What kind of business? Russ, you thinking of starting your own cybersecurity business?” Wayne suddenly recalls seeing that name on the list of layoffs at a DC cybersecurity company. He gulps.
“No, man,” Russell says. “Believe it or not, old buddy, we’re both broke. We’re planning to use the $5,000 checks that asshole Musk and his munchkins sent us after taking our jobs. We’re thinking we might have enough to start a landscaping business—if we start out small.”
Wayne gulps, makes an awkward static-like noise, and hangs up the phone. “Shit,” he mumbles. “It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.”
If you love friends, you will serve your friends. If you love community, you will serve your community. If you love money, you will serve your money. And if you love only yourself, you will serve only yourself. And you will have only yourself. – Stephen Colbert
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