I thought using AI and vibe coding could protect me from job cuts, but Amazon still laid me off. Here's what I learned.

Tejal Rives joined Amazon in 2021.

Courtesy of Tejal Rives

• Tejal Rives hoped adopting AI at work would help keep her safe from tech layoffs.
• However, she lost her job at Amazon during layoffs in October 2025.
• Rives was disheartened but was glad the experience taught her about AI.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tejal Rives, 35, who lives in Arizona. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In October 2025, I read a...