Snap Layoffs in LA: What Your Severance Agreement Actually Says

Snap's April 2026 WARN filing made it official: 247 employees were cut from the Los Angeles offices. If you were part of that layoff, you received a severance agreement. Maybe you've been sitting on it for a while. Maybe you're about to hit a deadline. Either way, here's what matters.

Here's something most people don't realize: severance agreements are negotiable. The offer you received is a starting point, not a final number. Employees negotiate better severance packages with the help of an attorney every day, and the results are often meaningfully better than the initial offer.

We review and negotiate severance agreements on contingency. That means no upfront cost to you. Our fee comes only from the additional amount we negotiate above what you were already offered. If we don't improve your package, you don't pay. There's no downside to having an attorney look at what you've been given.

247 Employees Triggers Serious WARN Act Obligations

Both the federal WARN Act and California's Cal-WARN Act (Labor Code Sections 1400-1408) require 60 days' advance written notice before a mass layoff. With 247 employees cut from the LA office, there's no question the threshold is met.

If Snap gave you that notice, the WARN obligation is satisfied. If they didn't, they owe you up to 60 days of pay and benefits on top of whatever severance they offered. Under Cal-WARN, they may also owe $500 per employee per day of violation.

Look at the math in your agreement. Companies sometimes bundle WARN pay into the severance total to make the package look bigger than it is. If four weeks of your severance is actually WARN pay that Snap owed you by law, the voluntary portion is much smaller than the headline number.

Your Snap RSUs

Snap is publicly traded (SNAP on NYSE). If your compensation included RSUs, here's the hard truth: unvested shares are forfeited when you're terminated. Depending on where you are in your vesting schedule, that could represent a significant chunk of your total compensation disappearing overnight.

This is worth reviewing carefully. Partial accelerated vesting, where Snap credits you an extra 3 to 12 months of vesting, is worth raising, though companies are often resistant, in a mass layoff. That said, it's worth reviewing whether the equity treatment in your agreement reflects your full vesting picture.

If you were days or weeks from a vesting cliff, losing those shares because of timing is especially worth pushing back on. Also confirm that vested but unsettled RSUs will be delivered on the normal schedule. The severance agreement should not modify settlement terms for shares you've already earned.

Snap Has Done This Before

This isn't Snap's first round of layoffs, and the company has had to navigate these issues before. That means two things. First, Snap's legal team has a polished template. It's designed to be comprehensive and to protect the company across every scenario. Second, because it's a template, it wasn't written with your individual situation in mind. Your tenure, your equity position, your role, and your potential claims all make your situation different from the person in the next office.

Non-Competes Are Dead in California

If your Snap severance agreement includes a non-compete clause, it's void. California Business and Professions Code Section 16600 prohibits non-compete agreements. AB 1076 made it explicitly illegal for employers to include them. SB 699 extended this so that non-competes from other jurisdictions can't be enforced against California workers.

Social media and tech companies are a tight world in LA. Santa Monica, Venice, Playa Vista. You should be free to walk into any competitor the day after your last day at Snap. Don't sign an agreement with language that could create friction at your next job, even if it's technically unenforceable. Demand removal.

OWBPA Protections for Employees Over 40

If you're over 40, federal law gives you extra protections under the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act. In a group layoff of 247 people, Snap must give you at least 45 days to review the agreement, not 21. They must provide a list of the job titles and ages of employees who were selected and not selected for the layoff. You get 7 days after signing to revoke.

If Snap gave you the wrong timeline or skipped the required disclosures, the waiver of your age discrimination claims may be invalid. That matters if you believe age was a factor in who got cut.

The General Release

Your severance agreement includes a release of claims. When you sign, you're giving up your right to sue Snap for wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, unpaid wages, harassment, and anything else that happened during your employment.

That's a big trade. Before you make it, consider whether you have claims worth preserving. Were the layoff selections neutral? Were certain groups disproportionately affected? Had you raised concerns about workplace issues? Were you on leave? Filing a claim with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) or the DLSE for wage issues is off the table once you sign.

Final Pay and What Snap Owes You Regardless

California Labor Code Sections 201 through 203 require all earned wages to be paid on your last day of employment. That includes accrued vacation and PTO. Late payment triggers waiting time penalties of up to 30 days of additional pay. This is not severance. It's your earned compensation, and it's owed whether or not you sign the agreement.

What to Do Now

Don't let a deadline push you into signing something you don't fully understand. If you're over 40, you have 45 days. Use them.

If you were part of the Snap layoff in Los Angeles, our employment attorneys can review your severance agreement and tell you exactly what's negotiable. We handle employment cases in LA County Superior Court. The consultation is free. The worst outcome of making one phone call is learning that your package is already fair.