When Adekunle Ayodele was laid off from Meta after nearly four years as a programme manager, he said he was prepared for the possibility and already had several options for his next move.
Ayodele, 45, said he received the news on May 20 after repeatedly checking his email that morning. Rather than being overwhelmed, he said his immediate response was to thank God, say goodbye to colleagues and put away his work laptop.
I was laid off from Meta but had a plan: Real estate, businesses and AI became my next move
With a wife and two children to support, Ayodele said living below his means had helped him build financial resilience. He also had several entrepreneurial projects that he could pursue after leaving Meta.
He is now focused on his own ventures, including real estate investments, Databox Technologies and Mixle, a networking app he recently relaunched. He also previously founded Fostr, a nonprofit community for African and Black professionals.
After announcing his plans on LinkedIn, 22 people contacted him about joining his ventures. He now works with a remote team of around 15 people comprising contractors, interns, part-time contributors and advisers.
Ayodele said artificial intelligence has also allowed him to rebuild Mixle’s technology more quickly and cheaply.
Although he remains open to another job, he plans to continue growing his businesses and advises workers to prepare for layoffs by maintaining savings, relationships and relevant skills
