As thousands of Oracle employees across India spiral into anxiety following one of the biggest tech layoffs in Indian history, a layoff story from Bhubaneshwar strikes a different chord. The fired employee has
now returned to his hometown and has shifted gears to become an Uber driver. While this may sound grim at first, his financial planning over the years has really come to use in these times of uncertainty.
The story was shared by Nayak Satya on X, and it has since gone viral on social media. He shared the story of a close friend who was fired from Oracle's Bangalore office, and simply refused to panic. "One of my close friends was fired from Oracle Bangalore. No panic, no stress, and no crying on social media," Nayak wrote.
Fired Oracle employee becomes an Uber driver
Rather than sitting idle while he figures out his next chapter, the engineer put a skill he already had to immediate use, he started driving for Uber. Not out of desperation, but at his own convenience, on his own schedule, in his own city.
As Nayak wrote, "He knows how to drive, so he immediately started working as an Uber driver at his own convenience earning good." It is the kind of move that is simple, dignified, and practical, the antithesis of the paralysis that often accompanies sudden job loss.
Oracle employee had made sound financial calls in the past
While most of his colleagues were logging onto LinkedIn to post heartfelt farewell messages, this engineer quietly packed his bags and returned to his roots. The reason he could afford to do this was not luck. It was years of quiet, disciplined financial preparation.
The man held postal fixed deposits in two joint accounts - Rs. 15 lakh each. One is held jointly with his parents, the other with his wife. A third deposit exists in his child's account. Together, these postal FDs generate approximately Rs. 28,000 in monthly interest income.
In addition to this, he holds fixed deposits in Indian banks worth around Rs. 30 lakh, which yield another Rs. 15,000 per month.
That is a combined passive income of over Rs, 43,000 every month, before he even starts his day.
Crucially, he owns his home outright and lives with his parents. He carries no EMIs and no loans tied to a metro city flat, which means his monthly outgoings are minimal.
Oracle fired employee already has a small business in the works
The Uber driving is only a bridge. The real plan is bigger. According to Nayak's post, the engineer is 'calmly planning to start a small business with the help of his parents' and is already scouting the potential that Bhubaneswar offers as a city to build something fresh.
"He happily called me today to meet up after our conversation to cross check potential of Bhubaneswar to start something fresh," Nayak wrote.
Perhaps the most striking detail in the post is what this engineer didn't do. He never followed financial influencers. He never put money into SIPs or 'modern financial hype'. He chose postal fixed deposits and bank FDs, instruments dismissed as boring by an entire generation chasing high returns.
"So folks plan in advance so when required you will never fumble. Biggest learning for me, no matter how tough the situations, always prepare with a smile."
Oracle has laid off almost 30,000 employees globally, with 12,000 impacted in India alone. The company is said to have made these cuts to allocate more budget to AI infrastructure development.
