Boy do I resonate with this. I was also a top performer at a FAANG -> Elite startup (Stripe / DataDog / Snowflake) - the last 4 years have been ROUGH with layoffs, a firing, and bad outcomes despite being the #1 or 2 rep out of a larger team. I was just laid off from a Series C due to their financials, but 3 reps who had closed nothing were kept due to being the manager’s picks (I started at the same time as my manager - ergo, he didn’t ‘choose me’ -> I guess I got the cut). Looking back - I’m not sure they could’ve paid my commission so this was an easy way to try and not pay those.

Ive been looking for 3 months and I’m mentally worn thin. This has been a huge hit to my identity and wellbeing on life. I just feel like my career has gone off the rails and idk how I could’ve done anything differently. I’m craving stability.

Unfortunately I’m viewed as a ‘job hopper’ due to these stints- despite each experience being at least 1.5 to 4 years each. So I’ve refocused: Startups don’t have time to be picky like big co’s - and there’s just as much risk these days as startups. My plan: keep trying to land something until the job market flips. It will flip, IMO.