Growth by Design

Growth by Design

The Startup of You (AI Edition)

Recently Laid Off? Here's a Mid-Career Playbook for Using AI to Design Your Next Role With Leverage, Learning, and Optionality

Diraj Goel's avatar
Diraj Goel
Jul 15, 2025
∙ Paid

Note to Founders

You’ve probably seen the posts.

Smart, experienced operators - laid off.
Long LinkedIn updates.
Gracious exits.
Uncertain next steps.

This piece isn’t written directly for you. But it’s for someone you know.
Someone on your team.
Someone in your feed.
Someone you used to be.

I was one of them.
And chances are, you were too - before you stepped into the shoes of a founder.

This article is for the operator in transition.
The one whose title disappeared, but whose value hasn’t.
The one looking for what’s next - without a playbook.

I wrote this to help them use AI to rebuild with intention.
To find or create the role that actually fits.
To learn systems while they search - so they stay in motion, not in waiting.

If that’s someone in your world, share it. If it’s someone on your team who may be at a crossroads, send it now.

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If you recognize your past self in these pages, keep reading.

This isn’t a resume guide.
It’s a career operating model - built with clarity, leverage, and optionality.

And i…

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