Epic Games laid off 1000 workers last week, with CEO Tim Sweeney citing the drop in engagement as the source. One of those laid off workers was Mike Prinke, a programmer who had worked for Epic Games for seven years. This termination particularly affected Mike, because  he’s currently undergoing treatment for terminal cancer, and the loss of his job came with the loss of his insurance.

His wife Jenni Griffin took to Facebook over the weekend to share the news and plead with Epic Games, writing that “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.” She continues emphasising that “Because of the layoff, we didn’t just lose income — we lost his life insurance. And because his condition is now considered a pre-existing condition, he can’t get new coverage.”

She attached to her message a picture of a brain scan showing, according to Kotaku, an “aggressive growth in the frontal lobe.” In an interview with Kotaku, Griffin stated that Prinke had frequent medical appointments and had taken paid leave before. She highlighted that his condition wasn’t hidden and “Everyone he worked with knows.” Some of his medical appointments were even specific memory loss treatments to prevent his diagnosis affecting his job. According to Griffin “He really gave everything to keep our family protected only to be laid off.”

In her Facebook post Jenni Griffin writes “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. How I will keep a roof over our heads. How I will protect our son and the life we built together. What will happen to our dogs. I truly believe that if the people who made this decision understood the full human impact, they would not have intended this outcome.”

She concludes with a plea to Epic Games sharing that “Mike is not just a number. He is a father. A husband. A person deeply loved. 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. And if you can’t, please share. We are running out of time, and I’m trying everything I can to protect my family while I still have him here with us.”

Her post was noticed and shared by Backers Fortnite News, a Fortnite news account who tagged Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, and asked ARE YOU HAPPY NOW??????? Tim Sweeney replied to that tweet on March 29th stating that “Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them. 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.”

Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them. 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.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) March 29, 2026