Made redundant in 2026 — should you start a company instead of job hunting?
Redundancy is rarely about you. UK tech and professional services have shed roles steadily through 2025–26 as AI absorbs middle-skill work — ONS data shows 213,000 redundancies in Q1 2026 alone. For experienced operators, the question isn't 'where do I apply next?' — it's 'is this the moment to build the thing I've thought about for five years?'
Redundancy creates two things in equal measure: financial pressure and intellectual freedom. The trick is to use the freedom before the pressure dictates your decisions.
Most newly redundant senior operators have something they've never had at work — a clear, costed view of a problem they've watched go unsolved for years. That insight has commercial value, but only if you test it before you bet on it.
The first 30 days should be customer conversations, not company formation. Ten ex-colleagues will tell you whether the problem is real, whether they'd pay for the solution, and — critically — who else you should be talking to.
“Redundancy is the most expensive permission slip you'll ever be handed. Use it deliberately.”
Sources
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