Michael Waters’ Post

After 5 years at Meta, I was one of 8,000 impacted by mass layoffs yesterday. It's with a heavy heart I write this post, I'll miss the many talented people and inspiring leaders I worked with. I know this decision is not a reflection of my value or performance (as I consistently "exceed expectations"), but I encourage you to connect with your Meta friends this week. In times like this, we need each other. I'm now open to new opportunities and would appreciate any support, whether that's a referral, an introduction, or just a signal boost. To my fellow metamates, don't hesitate to reach out! My network is your network. Meta changed my life in ways I never expected. As a mixed Native girl, I grew up in a world far away from silicon valley. I never saw people look like me, in places like this, advocating for a vision that included my community. Meta changed that for me. I served on the Native@ Leadership Council, bringing Indigenous employees + allies together to grow our community globally and represent Native voices in places I never thought possible. I'm forever grateful! Working at the intersection of social impact and technology helped me realize my passion for product design and building WITH experts and communities through ✨ codesign.✨ The work I enjoyed most was learning how technology can be the greatest extension of our humanity when designed responsibly. Advocating for users meant examining every design decision/assumption, down to the pixel, to get it right. The lessons, people, and experiences forever changed the way I think about and approach problems. This work is more important than ever, especially as the velocity of AI increasingly changes our lives, particularly for trust and safety risks. As for what's next, I'm looking for roles related to consumer tech, responsible AI/ innovation, trust & safety, research, design, program/project management or mission-driven organizations. Here are some areas I bring the most value: ▶️ Building scalable strategies to drive platform trust and growth cross AI experiences, gaming, Augmented Reality (AR)/ Virtual Reality (VR) products, and Robotics ▶️ Influencing product and go-to-market strategies of next-generation hardware and software experiences for mainstream success ▶️ Conducting rigorous research quickly to generate high-fidelity prototypes and design mocks in concentrated iterative sprints with experts ▶️ Leveraging AI to boost productivity and bringing clarity to your most ambiguous challenges THANK YOU - I'm looking forward to my next chapter. Every word of this was authored by a human ✌ #opentowork #metalayoffs #AI #Badgepost #codesign #nativesintech #native #productdesign #accessibledesign #codesign #designwith