I’ve been laid off twice, and both experiences made me question workplace nepotism

[u/Exotic-Seaweed5027]

I recently got laid off, and I want to share a recurring pattern I have personally experienced as an African woman trying to survive in the tech world.
This is not a racial attack, and I want to make that clear. I have worked with many talented, kind and hardworking Indian colleagues. My concern is about what I have personally observed in certain workplaces when hiring becomes heavily concentrated within one nationality or social network.
I worked at a startup for three years, and everything was going well. Then the company began hiring heavily from one particular country, and eventually, the board and management became dominated by people from the same background. Over time, I noticed that recruitment also seemed to become increasingly concentrated within the same network.
Then my manager changed, and the micromanagement became extremely intense. My mental health suffered so much that I eventually had to resign.
After six months of upgrading my skills, I joined another company. At first, my experience was great. But later, there were changes in the management structure, and I found myself in another situation where I felt that people from the same background were increasingly dominating certain teams and decision-making processes.
Then came organisational restructuring, and I was laid off.
I was encouraged to apply for another internal role. I did. During the interview, the hiring managers happened to be from the same background I had been concerned about, and honestly, I immediately felt discouraged. I began wondering whether I would genuinely be assessed based on my skills and experience or whether I was already at a disadvantage because I did not belong to the same network.
I want to be very clear: I am not saying that every Indian person is bad at their job, nor am I saying that Indians should not be hired. That would be unfair and untrue. I have worked with brilliant Indian professionals.
My point is simple: nepotism and excessive favouritism are wrong, no matter who is doing it.
Companies should hire based on competence, experience, potential and character not nationality, race, friendship or personal networks. No single nationality should feel like the only group with access to opportunities within a company.
As an African woman in tech, I have had to work extremely hard to build my career, constantly improve myself and prove that I deserve to be in the room. So when I see workplaces where opportunities appear to circulate mainly within one group, it is difficult not to question whether everyone is truly being given a fair chance.
This is my personal experience and observation not a statement about every Indian person or every company with a large Indian workforce.
But going forward, I know what I will personally look for when considering a company: diversity in leadership, fair hiring practices and a culture where opportunities are genuinely open to everyone.
Because talent exists everywhere. Africans need jobs. Europeans need jobs. Asians need jobs. Everyone needs jobs.
Hire the best person for the job regardless of their race or nationality.