Former Grubhub Executive Launches Talent Network for Laid-Off Staff

Irvin Thevaranjan, a former head of governance risk and controls at Grubhub, established the Ex-Grubhub Talent Network to support colleagues affected by mass layoffs in February 2025. The initiative features a public tracker detailing the professional experience of 326 alumni and a Slack workspace dedicated to peer support and job sharing.

Thevaranjan modeled the network after a similar 2020 effort by former Groupon chief people officer Kristen Ubaldi. To maximize visibility, he utilized a strategy he termed the "empathy window," which involved tagging Grubhub executives in LinkedIn posts immediately following the layoffs to leverage the brief period of heightened public sympathy.

To improve the network's utility for external hiring managers, Thevaranjan integrated advice from former recruiter Katie Cavote. Career consultants have noted that the group's longevity is unusual for layoff support networks, providing essential human connection during a period of widespread workforce reductions across the technology industry.