CEO of Epic Games apologizes after laying off employee with terminal brain cancer

The chief of the company that created Fortnite, a popular online game, has issued an apology following backlash after recent mass layoffs cost an employee with terminal brain cancer his job – and his life insurance.On Sunday, Tim Sweeney, the Epic Games chief executive, apologized after Jenni Griffin, the wife of Mike Prinke, a laid-off employee, revealed on social media that the loss of her husband’s job also meant he was losing his life insurance.“Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them,” Sweeney said in an X post in response to Griffin. “There is high confidentiality around medical information, and it was not a factor in this layoff decision. Sorry to everyone for not recognizing this terribly painful situation and handling it in advance.”Sweeney’s Epic Games has annual profits of $4bn. Its Fortnite is the world’s fourth-most-played PC game.In a Facebook post, Griffin wrote: “I never imagined I would be writing something like this. My husband, Mike, was recently laid off along with over a thousand others at Epic Games. What makes this different for our family is that Mike is currently fighting terminal brain cancer. Because of the layoff, we didn’t just lose income – we lost his life insurance.”Griffin added: “And because his condition is now considered a pre-existing condition, he can’t get new coverage. So now, as I face the reality of losing my husband … I’m also facing the reality of what type of funeral/burial I can afford … I truly believe that if the people who made this decision understood the full human impact, they would not have intended this outcome.”She continued, “I’m sharing this in the hope that it reaches the right people. If you work at or know someone connected to Mike’s former employer, please help this story reach them.”Accompanying Griffin’s statement was a picture of Prinke’s brain scan, which was captioned: “There are dozens of tumors actively growing, but this one is the most terrifying as it is aggressively taking over space in the front lobe.”Her post quickly went viral and prompted Sweeney to respond.Griffin later confirmed that Epic Games had reached out, writing on Facebook on Sunday: “We are in talks now with the appropriate people! Will update soon, likely by Tuesday. Thank you.”Epic Games announced the mass layoffs on 24 March. Sweeney justified the cuts by saying: “The downturn in Fortnite engagement that started in 2025 means we’re spending significantly more than we’re making, and we have to make major cuts to keep the company funded. This layoff, together with over [$500m] of identified cost savings in contracting, marketing, and closing some open roles puts us in a more stable place.”He added that affected employees would receive a severance package, including at least four months of base pay, along with other aspects tied to tenure at the company.In addition, Sweeney said Epic would extend paid healthcare coverage. The company planned for laid-off US employees to receive six months of coverage, along with accelerated stock options.