She graciously opened her hill-top home to us, where for a whole day we threw out ideas on how to better our products. That spirit of comraderie was a pleasant, surprising perk I hadn't anticipated in the working world. The amount I've learned far surpasses any of the disappointments I've had. From a business standpoint, it makes sense to trim the fat. This will happen often at an Internet company, where business plans and corporate directions change every month.
Layoffs are part of the process.
Growth isn't always sustainable, and streamlining may be the best course of action for the company. I luckily survived both rounds of layoffs by being smart, working hard, and adapting to the changes. Unfortunately, several of my friends did the same, and were still let go. In the end, just be happy for the crazy ride. Enjoy it, learn from it, and have fun with it while it lasts.