Interesting topic but only skims the surface the tiniest bit, and I'd challenge the idea that this is the first time layoffs have become routine in tech. They seemed routine when I first started in tech in the early 2000s, certainly they were routine around 2008/2009. Before being eaten by Oracle, for example, Sun had regular layoffs. IBM was known for it. Microsoft had waves of layoffs in that time-frame, Toshiba, Seagate, Novell, SAP[1]...
One thing that remains true is that tech companies tend to follow peer pressure. Once a few companies break the ice, it's a wave.
All that to say - it might be slightly more flagrant now, but if there ever was a "social contract" it hasn't been kept up by (most) employers for a long long time.
One thing that remains true is that tech companies tend to follow peer pressure. Once a few companies break the ice, it's a wave.
All that to say - it might be slightly more flagrant now, but if there ever was a "social contract" it hasn't been kept up by (most) employers for a long long time.
[1] https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/tech-layoffs-the-sco...