2024 has seen two mass layoffs at Microsoft, with 1900 staff laid off in January, before a further 650 Xbox employees were shown the door in September.
Regardless, Microsoft’s shares are up and the company’s market value is now higher than $3tn, as it works to capitalise on the rise of AI.
In case you missed it, in our broken model of civilization a CEO’s only responsibility is to increase value for shareholders. Not to clients, not to employees, not to the biosphere.
Market cap increased, job’s done successfully.
A) 1971, Economist Milton Friedman explicitly told the world the “only social responsibility” for businesses is to increase shareholder value. The Business Roundtable heartily endorsed this view, setting the stage for the next half century of villains to gleefully enrich themselves without compunction.
B) 2019, Business Roundtable reversed their 50 year position to include that businesses should be beholden to all Stakeholders, not just shareholders.
But of course the damage has been done, and continues onward. To compound this, the FED’s open-purse monetary policy for 14 YEARS ushered in the worst inflation in 40 years, while wages have stagnated for 4 decades, kicking off around the time Baby Boomers were birthing the first Millennial children.
These are just some of the reasons Millennials lay the bulk of culpability at the feet of Baby Boomers, who of course respond with something like: “Well, I don’t remember that.”
Because of layoffs, not despite them.
Typical and most people in the US view CEO’s as heroes. US income distribution is on the same level as fucking Russia.
As someone from fucking Russia, people with biggest income in your country are usually first businessmen, second - something else, while in Russia those would be cockroaches from MFA, PA and other thieves, plus a few oligarchs who at some point were among those cockroaches.
So it may not be as bad yet, but frankly yes, you are giving out vibes of going in the same direction.
US is the OG oligarchy, but we cosplay “Democracy” to cope
I think the author got confused, it’s not despite off it’s because of.
That’s roughly 30k for every employee laid off
If they were software engineers, they saved $200,000+ per person laid off
That’s how he makes dem big bux, by telling other people to fuck off
So the CEO gets less than half their salary for the year?
Sounds like a great deal for the company. Until, you know, the whole thing collapses because they laid off the workers who kept the whole thing running
