A man was fired from his job in an Artificial Intelligence company at the age of 37, tried to get a new job in a technology company, worked in food delivery companies and ended up moving back in with his parents out of necessity. He now earns half of what he earned before working in a bank.
Trevor Gebhardt worked for a technology startup dedicated to AI in Los Angeles and had to return to Ohio to live with his parents after losing his job and living on credit cards or delivering food. “I never thought I would be 37 years old, unemployed and living with my parents in Ohio again,” highlights this millennial who, unlike other millennials who became rich before the age of 30, has had to ‘take a step back’ in life to regain momentum.
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And a year ago this man was working at an artificial intelligence startup where he earned a good salary, had a room in a rented apartment and a fairly stable routine. “My salary was barely enough to pay the bills, the rent and take care of my dog. Suddenly, almost overnight, everything fell apart,” he recalls.
Your AI role was removed
I had worked in technology and startups for more than 15 years, since I was a college student with a degree in politics and no idea what I wanted to do. “My first opportunity came when I helped a car dealership expand its online presence in 2010,” he recalls.
That experience led him to occupy different corporate positions and, over time, to create his own companies. It made a niche for itself in interface and customer experience (UX/UI) design. “I wasn’t a programmer or a founder, but I knew how to create systems that made sense to users,” he says. Their job was basically to make the technology usable.
His last job was at a promising artificial intelligence company in the healthcare sector. Since they didn’t have a customer service team yet, they hired him to build it from scratch. He took a pay cut in exchange for stock, hoping it would pay off in the long run.
But the company changed course: it decided to stop licensing software and start acquiring its own customers. It made sense in theory, but that eliminated the need for his position. “When I asked the CEO what would happen to me, he assured me that my role would be restructured.” Three weeks later, in August 2024, he walked into the office and was fired on the spot.
“The layoff came without warning. There were no performance issues. There was no opportunity to prepare.”
I only had money for 3 months of rent.
He had money to pay three months’ rent, and nothing more. No income, no compensation. At first I was optimistic. He had survived a couple of layoffs before. He didn’t even tell his family. He thought he would get another job before October. But the weeks passed, then the months. I applied for every tech job I could find.
He even tried to go back to work at a restaurant, where he had worked shifts during difficult times, but he couldn’t even achieve that. “In Los Angeles, any restaurant job is coveted by a sea of unemployed actors. I had no chance.”
He started driving for Uber Eats and DoorDash to make ends meet, until an old traffic ticket appeared on his record and both apps banned him. “So I started living on my credit cards,” he says.
In October I had no money, no job, no options
The turning point came on his birthday, in mid-September. “I did the math and realized that by November 1, I wouldn’t be able to pay my rent.” He couldn’t move in, or sublet, or so he thought. That’s when his mother called him just to check on him, and finally told him that he had been fired.
“She was understanding and generous, more than I expected. She offered to help me with the rent. When I refused, she said, ‘Come home. I’ll need help around the house anyway. We’ll see.'”
And so it was. He found a subtenant, packed the car with his dog, winter clothes, and his Xbox, and set out on the three-day drive from Los Angeles to Ohio.
“I remember stopping in the car and thinking, ‘I can’t believe my life has fallen apart so quickly.’”
He was very embarrassed to live with his parents again but he felt great support
“There’s no way to sugarcoat it: moving back in with my parents at 37 was humiliating.” He had spent years building his life in Los Angeles, with a career, friends and a community. He even liked his apartment. And now, he slept in his childhood bedroom, wondering if he had completely failed.
Still, he found some light. He was able to help his mother recover from surgery, reconnect with his nephews (who didn’t know him well before), and spend time with his 85-year-old grandfather. He also reunited with his best friend, who had returned to Ohio, and his dog traded walks around a small apartment for runs across three acres of land.
Now he earns half of what he earned before
After nine months, he managed to stabilize. “I got a full-time job at a bank here in Ohio, thanks to a recommendation from my sister-in-law,” he says. He earns about $43,000 a year, less than half of what he made in Los Angeles, “but it’s literally better than nothing.”
His dream is still to return. “I have sublet my apartment and I hope to return,” he says, although he also admits that he has had to accept that perhaps that chapter has already been closed. “I still love California. But I’ve discovered that I can also find happiness outside of it.”
And, above all, he learned that he is not alone. “What has helped me the most is knowing that I am not the only person going through this.” At a recent wedding, almost everyone at their table had lost their job or had recently found one.
“The tech industry is a disaster right now. I’m not the only one.”
What has saved him is not planning or willpower, but his support network. “What sets me apart from homelessness is not determination or planning. It’s family,” he says. “If I didn’t have my parents, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Sometimes he still feels embarrassed. “No adult wants to live under their parents’ roof again,” he confesses. But above all, he is grateful. “I am grateful to have a support network, family and friends who without question opened their homes to me and did not judge me. It was what really scared me.”