There is a major difference between being fired in the US and for instance most countries in Europe, where workers rights are very strongly protected. In the l

There is a major difference between being fired in the US and for instance most countries in Europe, where workers rights are very strongly protected. In the latter case, it is often very hard, time consuming, painful and costly to fire someone. However comfortable this may seem to from an employee perspective, if an employer decides to fire you they must really, really badly want to get rid of you. And that can seriously damage your reputation. The result is that instead of firing people, both parties usually make a deal: the employee leaves "voluntarily" and gets a big fat final paycheck. Technically no firing has taken place and the whole process is way less confrontational. Employers will gladly give you a reference and keep quiet about why you were let go in exchange for a smooth exit. You'll be hard pressed to find someone in the tech industry in Europe who has ever been fired.