Complicity grief, liquidity anxiety: Silicon Valley therapists are confronting a lot of new neuroses
Complicity grief, liquidity anxiety: Silicon Valley therapists are confronting a lot of new neuroses in their tech worker clients.
In the tech industry, therapists are witnessing a surge in neuroses among Silicon Valley workers. The combination of mass layoffs, artificial intelligence advancements, and high-profile IPOs has intensified their worries. Annie Wright, a Bay Area psychotherapist and executive coach, notes that her tech worker clients now express concerns about their identity if their work becomes automated and uncertainty about their careers in the next two decades.
According to Layoffs.fyi, over 120,000 tech jobs were cut globally in 2023, with major Silicon Valley companies like Meta, Google, Oracle, Salesforce, and Amazon experiencing significant layoffs. A survey of 8,200 tech workers by Lenny's Newsletter found that burnout rates increased from 44.4% in 2025 to 55.7% in 2026, while career optimism dropped from 54.8% to 48.7%.
The AI revolution has brought about a phenomenon called "complicity grief," where engineers who trained models that displace peers, product managers who shipped AI features that made colleagues redundant, and founders who raised funds for AI agents that could commoditize professions, all grapple with the realization that they too contributed to the displacement.
Those who lose their jobs face "liquidity anxiety" – being technically rich on paper but functionally stuck in real life. They may pivot to smaller companies, non-tech jobs, or even new careers. Some clients have explored alternative paths, such as joining the FBI or pursuing missions like cancer treatment or environmental protection.
For those who successfully IPO, they may experience "liquidity anxiety," where their wealth exists on paper but they feel functionally stuck in their daily lives. The arrival paradox also comes into play, where the IPO's success does not translate into a corresponding improvement in personal fulfillment.
As tech workers adjust to a less frenetic existence, their self-image, which is often tied to their work, is challenged. They may seek new identities, such as becoming stay-at-home dads or finding alternative missions for their careers.
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