From DJ Booth to Meta's Tech Team: A 13-Year Journey Ends in Layoff

A DJ who taught himself to code and went on to become a tech lead at Meta has revealed that he was laid off by the tech giant after more than 13 years with the company. In an as-told-to essay published by Business Insider, Henry Chen, 38, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, shared that he joined Facebook in 2012 as a contractor and eventually moved into a full-time engineering role before being laid off on May 20 this year.

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"After I left college, I worked as a DJ for a few years, taught myself to code, and eventually found my way to Facebook," Chen told Business Insider.

"I'm grateful for everything I learned during my time at Facebook, later Meta. Overall, it was a very positive experience. But after the company's major layoffs in late 2022 and early 2023, things started to change," he added.

From wedding DJ to Meta engineer

The 38-year-old said that he had initially planned to become a teacher while studying at San Jose State University but left college before completing his degree. He then worked as a DJ before taking up an AV engineering contract at Facebook, where his experience with audio and video equipment helped him land the role.