Laid off Epic Games employee with terminal cancer loses life insurance, company responds
Epic Games recently announced that it was laying off 1,000 workers amid declining engagement for its games, such as Fortnite. Now, a family member of one impacted employee has revealed that the person is suffering from cancer. After being laid off, the employee lost their life insurance support. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney responded to the situation on X.
Last week, Epic Games, the creator of the popular game Fortnite, announced that it was laying off 1,000 employees as part of the company's cost-cutting measures. One of the impacted employees was Mike Prinke, a technical writer. Following the announcement, Mike’s wife, Jenni Griffin, shared that he was undergoing treatment for terminal brain cancer with the layoff ending the life insurance cover.
Griffin wrote a post on Facebook, explaining the situation. She admitted that all impacted employees were going through a tough time, but the situation was much worse because of Mike’s condition. She wrote, “What makes this different for our family is that Mike is currently fighting terminal brain cancer.”
According to Mike Prinke’s wife, the family lost life insurance coverage as he undergoes treatment. Jenni added, “Because of the layoff, we didn't just lose income—we lost his life insurance.”
Wife of laid off employee says she may not afford his funeral
Jenni Griffin pointed out that Mike could not get a new life insurance policy due to his medical condition. This increased the burden on Jenni, not just for the way forward, but even for being able to afford a funeral for her husband. She added, “I'm also facing the reality of what type of funeral/burial I can afford. How I will keep a roof over our heads. How I will protect our son and the life we built together. What will happen to our dogs."
Griffin urged readers to reach out to Epic Games, hoping that the company will understand the gravity of the situation and help their family. She was confident that Epic Games did not actually know the impact of the layoff in this case. Jenni stated, “I truly believe that if the people who made this decision understood the full human impact, they would not have intended this outcome.”
Epic Games CEO responds
After backlash on social media, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney replied to a post on X, explaining that the company was sorting out the life insurance issue. He wrote, “Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them.”
Sweeney insisted that one’s medical condition remains confidential, and played no role in Mike being laid off. He added, “There is high confidentiality around medical information and it was not a factor in this layoff decision. Sorry to everyone for not recognizing this terribly painful situation and handling it in advance.”
The gaming giant is reducing its workforce by almost 20 per cent as it tries to ease financial pressure. Epic Games has fired some key personnel during this round of layoffs including marketing heads, writers, and engineers.
All impacted workers will receive a severance package that includes at least four months of base pay with extended healthcare coverage.
Epic Games employees have also created a spreadsheet online that lists all the impacted workers to help them find new opportunities.
Last week, Epic Games, the creator of the popular game Fortnite, announced that it was laying off 1,000 employees as part of the company's cost-cutting measures. One of the impacted employees was Mike Prinke, a technical writer. Following the announcement, Mike’s wife, Jenni Griffin, shared that he was undergoing treatment for terminal brain cancer with the layoff ending the life insurance cover.
Griffin wrote a post on Facebook, explaining the situation. She admitted that all impacted employees were going through a tough time, but the situation was much worse because of Mike’s condition. She wrote, “What makes this different for our family is that Mike is currently fighting terminal brain cancer.”
According to Mike Prinke’s wife, the family lost life insurance coverage as he undergoes treatment. Jenni added, “Because of the layoff, we didn't just lose income—we lost his life insurance.”
Wife of laid off employee says she may not afford his funeral
Jenni Griffin pointed out that Mike could not get a new life insurance policy due to his medical condition. This increased the burden on Jenni, not just for the way forward, but even for being able to afford a funeral for her husband. She added, “I'm also facing the reality of what type of funeral/burial I can afford. How I will keep a roof over our heads. How I will protect our son and the life we built together. What will happen to our dogs."
Griffin urged readers to reach out to Epic Games, hoping that the company will understand the gravity of the situation and help their family. She was confident that Epic Games did not actually know the impact of the layoff in this case. Jenni stated, “I truly believe that if the people who made this decision understood the full human impact, they would not have intended this outcome.”
Epic Games CEO responds
After backlash on social media, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney replied to a post on X, explaining that the company was sorting out the life insurance issue. He wrote, “Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them.”
Sweeney insisted that one’s medical condition remains confidential, and played no role in Mike being laid off. He added, “There is high confidentiality around medical information and it was not a factor in this layoff decision. Sorry to everyone for not recognizing this terribly painful situation and handling it in advance.”
The gaming giant is reducing its workforce by almost 20 per cent as it tries to ease financial pressure. Epic Games has fired some key personnel during this round of layoffs including marketing heads, writers, and engineers.
All impacted workers will receive a severance package that includes at least four months of base pay with extended healthcare coverage.
Epic Games employees have also created a spreadsheet online that lists all the impacted workers to help them find new opportunities.
