The Fourth Estate is still a corporate estate. Act accordingly

My heart goes out to the staff impacted by the mass layoffs at the Washington Post. It’s never easy. However, I’d like to offer some context and a bit of unsolicited advice.

As a long-time corporate slave at three major American MNCs—PepsiCo, Motorola, and HP—I believe I have the standing to weigh in.

Here is the cold, hard truth: Journalism, especially in large corporate newsrooms, is just a job.

You are an employee. You are expendable. You are easily replaceable.

Journalists at global platforms like the NYT or WaPo often develop an inflated sense of self-importance. There is this pervasive belief that they are uniquely virtuous—that they alone shine light into darkness, shape history, and topple governments.

It is a comforting illusion, but an illusion nonetheless.

You aren’t special. You aren’t indispensable. You are a worker in a corporate hierarchy, no different from the person in IT, Sales, Marketing, or Operations. When the bottom line shrinks, the "mission" takes a backseat to the balance sheet.

My 2 cents:

1. Regain perspective: Take a break and realize the world keeps spinning.
2. Update your CV: Get it on job portals and LinkedIn immediately.
3. Move on: Professionals across the corporate spectrum do this routinely without "breaking the internet" with their plight.

There is a certain idealism built into a career in journalism - no doubt - but these moments serve as a sobering reminder of the reality of the 21st-century workplace.

And frankly? The journalism prima donnas in India could stand to learn a thing or two from what’s happening at the Post.

The Fourth Estate is still a corporate estate. Act accordingly.

I do expect some trolling - but keep it civil. I confess to have delivered and received pink slips. So, i know the pain.