Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, apologized after a recent mass layoff included an employee with terminal brain cancer, a move that led to the loss of the worker’s life insurance coverage.
The apology came after Jenni Griffin, wife of laid-off employee Mike Prinke, posted on social media that her husband’s termination also meant losing his life insurance. Griffin’s account drew attention and prompted Sweeney to respond publicly on the platform X.
“Epic is in contact with the family and will resolve the insurance issue for them,” Sweeney wrote in response to Griffin. “There is a high degree of confidentiality around medical information, and that was not a factor in the layoff decision. I apologize to everyone for not recognizing this extremely painful situation and for not handling it sooner.”
Family’s account and public reaction
In a Facebook post, Griffin described the impact of the layoff: “My husband, Mike, was recently laid off along with more than a thousand others at Epic Games. What makes this different for our family is that Mike is fighting terminal brain cancer. Because of the termination, we didn’t just lose income — we lost his life insurance.”
Griffin added that Mike’s condition is now considered a preexisting condition, preventing him from obtaining new coverage. She wrote that, facing the prospect of losing her husband, she is also confronting how she will afford funeral expenses. Griffin appealed for the story to reach those who could help.
Her post included an image of Prinke’s brain MRI with the caption: “There are dozens of tumors actively growing, but this is the most terrifying as it is aggressively taking up space in the frontal lobe.” The post quickly gained attention and led to Sweeney’s reply.
Griffin later confirmed that Epic had contacted the family, posting: “We are talking now with the right people! I will update soon, probably by Tuesday. Thank you.”
Details of the layoffs and company response
Epic Games announced the mass layoffs on March 24. Sweeney explained the decision by citing declining engagement with Fortnite that began in 2025, saying the company was spending significantly more than it was making and needed “drastic cuts” to remain funded.
Sweeney said the layoffs, alongside more than $500 million in identified cost savings from contracts, marketing reductions and closing some positions, would place the company in a more stable position.
He also said affected employees would receive a severance package that includes at least four months of base pay plus other benefits tied to tenure. Epic planned to extend paid health coverage for terminated U.S. employees for six months and offer accelerated equity vesting options.
Source: theguardian.com
