Bay Area layoffs lead unemployed people on hiking journey in search of community

SAN MATEO COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- A packed parking lot along the San Mateo County coast early Monday marked the largest gathering yet for a Bay Area hiking group formed by unemployed workers, as about 80 people turned out for a weekly trek that continues to grow.

While many people were returning to work after the weekend, these hikers were moving forward after losing their jobs. Organizers said Monday's turnout at Montara Mountain was the biggest so far. Hikers in attendance said they have been searching for work anywhere from a couple of months to more than a year.

"It's sort of frightening so many people got laid off," one hiker said.

Basem Istanbouli, founder of the group (un)PTO, short for unpaid time off, said the sudden wave of job losses caught him off guard.

"It really just kind of blindsided me," Istanbouli said regarding his own layoff experience.

The group began with just three people in December, meeting on different trails, offering a shared space for people navigating the job search at the same time.

"This is an extremely stressful time for people when they're getting laid off, when they're in these career transitions," Istanbouli said. "And oftentimes, you don't have people to commiserate with or go through it with you," Istanbouli said.

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The idea for (un)PTO came after Istanbouli himself was laid off from Google in January 2025.

Tech giants continue to lead layoffs across the Bay Area. Data from the California Employment Development Department shows that since July of 2025, Bay Area companies have laid off nearly 20,000 workers.

Oracle and Meta are at or near the top of the list of highest number of layoffs, and more are expected.

Roger Lee, who tracks job cuts through his website layoffs.fyi, said artificial intelligence investments are partly driving layoffs.

"AI investments are really, really costly. And their answer to balancing out those costs is to cut costs elsewhere," Lee said.

Lee said 92,000 tech layoffs worldwide have been documented so far this year. He said the total is on track to far surpass last year's numbers, though current levels are still lower than in 2022 and 2023, when companies were correcting for overhiring during the pandemic.

When asked whether the situation amounts to a tech bust, Lee said the market is split.

"There's almost two different markets going on. You have one where AI is booming. And so we are actually seeing an uptick in hiring even as we're seeing uptick in layoffs," he said.

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Even so, the job search remains challenging for many taking part in the hikes.

"Although it's nice seeing people supporting one another, we really don't want the group to be growing this much," Istanbouli said, calling it a sign of the times.

For those on the trail, the group offers more than professional support.

"It's really cool to and kind of heartening to be all together," hiker Alexa Barnes said.

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Another participant, Matt Tarchick, said the hikes have already helped his job search.

"Since doing this, I've actually had two or three more interviews," he said.

Asked whether (un)PTO might be his new calling, Istanbouli joked, "Oh, man, I'm not sure if my parents would appreciate that."

As layoffs continue and career paths remain uncertain, the expanding group shows how community can make the climb feel easier, even when the destination is still unknown.

Learn more about (un)PTO here.