The layoffs at Google at the beginning of 2023, didn’t impact me or my writing team directly, however they cast a shadow over the year. I try to look at difficult situations through a lens of what I can actually do to change things or improve the situation. At my level of management I’m not privy to layoff decisions, but I can be there to support my team and make space to talk about their concerns. I can strive to make sure our work and the impact of it is visible, and I can make sensible business decisions to make the most of resources in a more constrained environment. And so, after the initial shock of it all, that’s how I’ve approached this year.