‘Disbelief and pure happiness’: How Microsoft’s layoff turned out to be a blessing in disguise for this techie; here’s what she said

The news of being laid off by the employer who you have served for so many years can leave you shocked and shattered, as it can give jitters about the future and can make survival tough. But things were very different for Tatiana Teppoeva, who was laid off by Microsoft after her 14 years of service to the tech giant.

Sharing her experience with Business Insider, the 49-year-old techie said that she received an email from Microsoft in January informing her that she was laid off. Rather than being devastated and broken because of the news, she informed her friend of the news in “disbelief and pure happiness.”

As Teppoeva’s tenure with the global tech giant ended, a totally new journey began for her. She began the pursuit of her entrepreneurial aspirations. “For more than a year, I had been thinking about leaving to start my own company, but it was not an easy decision after a 17-year stable career at Boeing and Microsoft,” she told Business Insider.


“I even had a resignation letter saved in my drafts, waiting for the right moment. When the layoff happened, I felt it was a green light, and I was grateful, she said.

Tatiana Teppoeva on her entrepreneurship journey

Microsoft’s decision to lay off Teppoeva turned out to be a blessing in disguise for her, as it pushed her towards her big goals. After she was laid off, Teppoeva started a company, One Nonverbal Ecosystem, rather than seeking a new corporate job. “Now I teach executives how to command the room and project the presence they want,” she said.

“I'm an entrepreneur with a Ph.D. in economics and two master's degrees, and I'm currently pursuing an MBA. I'm also a US patent holder in predictive AI, a certified personality profiler, and certified in nonverbal communication, voice, and speech analysis," she told Business Insider.

Tatiana Teppoeva’s corporate career

Teppoeva stepped into the corporate world with Boeing, where she worked as a business analyst, leading global customer satisfaction initiatives and internal employee engagement analytics.

“In May 2011, I joined Microsoft as a senior research manager. From 2015 to 2025, I transitioned into a senior data and applied scientist role, where I developed and patented an AI model for predicting hardware failures,” she said.

Microsoft’s massive contribution to Teppoeva’s life

While sharing her story with Business Insider, Teppoeva revealed that the global tech giant gave her clarity and a financial cushion with severance and medical coverage. This allowed her to start building her business without the immediate financial burden.

Teppoeva talks about her inspiration

Teppoeva’s inspiration to start her own company came from her son, who's a successful businessman

“I watched him start from nothing and build something impressive as a business owner in the construction space. He wasn't interested in college, and I didn't know how it would turn out, but I told him it was the perfect time to experiment. If it worked, wonderful. If not, he would still gain valuable experience. I've always believed we either win or we learn; there are no failures," the former Microsoft employee said.

“Watching his journey encouraged me to take the same leap. I had wanted to start my own business since I was 30, but life circumstances made me put that dream on hold," she further stated.