Last week, Epic Games announced the layoff of 1,000 employees following a decline in Fortnite engagement. One of those affected by the layoff was Mike Prinke, who was suffering from terminal brain cancer. The layoff also meant that he was yanked off his life insurance.
“I never imagined I would be writing something like this,” wrote Mike’s wife, Jenni Griffin, on Facebook. “My husband, Mike was recently laid off along with over a thousand others at Epic Games. What makes this different for our family is that Mike is currently fighting terminal brain cancer.”
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“Because of the layoff, we didn’t just lose income—we lost his life insurance. And because his condition is now considered a pre-existing condition, he can’t get new coverage. So now, as I face the reality of losing my husband… I’m also facing the reality of what type of funeral/burial I can afford.”
The message was widely shared across various social media platforms. One user on X shared the screenshot of the message from Jenni on X, and mentioned Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney. He replied.
“Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them,” Sweeney wrote. “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.”
Hours later, Jenni updated the original post, confirming that Epic Games has reached out to the family. The update read, “WE ARE IN TALKS NOW WITH THE APPROPRIATE PEOPLE! WILL UPDATE SOON, LIKELY BY TUESDAY. THANK YOU ”.
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The majority of the comments under the Epic Games boss’s response think that it was a PR stunt to save face and company image, and that the company wouldn’t have done anything if the information hadn’t come online.
Those who spoke in defense of the Epic Games boss reminded the rest that a boss is not privy to an employee’s medical records. Therefore, there is no such consideration when the employer is making major decisions.
Do you think Sweeney handled the matter well to give a human face to Epic Games, or is the reaction just a way to save face? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
