I went from wedding DJ to Meta engineer, then was laid off after 13 years. My last years there brought constant change.
A former Meta engineer reflects on his journey from wedding DJ to tech, his 13-year career, and life after a layoff.
Henry Chen, a 38-year-old former Meta tech lead, was laid off after 13 years with the company in May. Initially working as a DJ, Chen taught himself to code and transitioned into a tech role at Facebook in 2012. Rising through the ranks, he became a tech lead, managing conference room technology and eventually leading a team at Meta.
However, the major layoffs in 2022 and 2023 changed the company's focus, making it harder to prioritize projects and foresee team direction. Chen, on paternity leave for much of 2025, returned to a drastically altered environment that required significant reacclimation. After being laid off, he initially continued job searching before taking a break to spend time with his family.
Chen is now working with a career coach to explore new opportunities, focusing on broader IT roles and software engineering positions to leverage the coding skills he developed during his time at Meta.
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