The Layoff Epidemic: When Cutting Jobs Becomes the Corporate Cure-All

Intel is at it again, laying off 1,666 employees across four states, claiming they’re "simplifying." But let’s be real. Simplifying is just a nice way of saying, “Let’s fire people because it’s easier than dealing with real problems.” This isn't just Intel; this is the tech world in 2025: layoffs seem to be the go-to strategy when companies can’t navigate tough times. Instead of innovating, companies are cutting jobs and expecting everything to be fine.

But hold up, let’s think about this.

What Else Did You Do First? Before Terminating Employees...

Before firing 1,666 people, did you explore what’s really causing the issues? Did you consider addressing inefficient processes, outdated technology, or lackluster leadership? Cutting jobs isn’t a long-term solution, it’s a quick fix. What about investing in training, innovation, and leadership development instead?

Now, let's flip the script: How can we make more money to keep more people? Instead of slashing headcount, how can we grow revenue and be more profitable long-term? Building a sustainable, thriving business means figuring out how to create more opportunities, not fewer. Let’s think about new revenue streams, expanding current ones, and strengthening relationships with clients.

Repurposing: The Power of Reallocation, Not Elimination

Here’s an idea: repurpose your workforce. Instead of simply cutting jobs, look at how employees’ skills can be redirected and used in different areas of the business. There are always opportunities to retrain and reallocate talent to other high-need areas. This is a more proactive approach, one that enables you to grow within while keeping employees on board. Don’t just throw people away, retool their potential to fit a new mission.

By repurposing talent, you’re not just saving jobs; you’re also investing in your team’s future and the company’s longevity. It’s a win-win.

Did We Make Poor Hiring Decisions?

How did we end up with so many extra people? If we have 1,666 "excess" employees, we need to ask: how did we determine what was excess? Were there poor hiring decisions? Were we hiring based on short-term needs instead of strategic long-term goals? Before we start firing people, let’s figure out where we went wrong in staffing the company to begin with.

Rather than focusing on cutting employees, let's focus on creating more demand for the services and products we offer. Revenue growth means more room for people. How do we pivot to a model that generates more income and leads to a healthier, larger workforce?

If It Got So Dire, Fire the Executives Who Didn’t Act Fast Enough

Now, if things really got so dire that you had no choice but to cut jobs immediately, then fire the people who were supposed to be checking on all this. I guarantee you there was someone, likely in HR or Talent, who was raising the flags and trying to warn you about this. Maybe they were ignored, dismissed, or told to "just keep moving forward" while the company blindly marched into this mess. Where were the executives when the writing was on the wall? Why didn’t they pivot or shift the company fast enough? If you're slashing jobs because the company didn’t react quickly enough, then maybe it’s time to take a long, hard look at the leadership team. I’m looking at you, executives. If your people didn’t see the storm coming, maybe it’s time for a leadership change, not just a headcount reduction. Fire the people responsible for not pivoting in time, not the ones doing the work on the ground.

The Illusion of Simplification

Here’s the thing: if "simplification" was really the goal, why do so many companies end up more complex after layoffs? Intel claims it’s trying to "streamline operations," but cutting jobs doesn’t simplify anything. It just creates more chaos, only now, it’s chaos without a paycheck. Fewer employees don’t make a company more efficient; it often leads to burnout and morale issues. But hey, I guess that’s what we call “leaning in,” right?

Instead of addressing the actual problems, like inefficiencies, outdated tech, or poor leadership, companies are opting for the lazy route: firing people. It’s the quickest way to save cash and get headlines. But does it fix anything long-term? No.

The Human Cost: Layoffs Aren’t Just Business, They’re Personal

Let’s talk about the human side of layoffs for a second. It’s easy for the C-suite to sit in their shiny boardrooms and pat themselves on the back for “right-sizing” a company, but what about the people who actually make the company work? When you cut employees, you’re not just trimming numbers, you’re cutting lives, careers, families, and livelihoods. That’s a heavy price to pay for a “cost-saving measure.”

And let’s not forget the emotional toll. Losing a job isn’t just a financial hit. It’s personal. It’s demoralizing. It’s a blow to someone’s sense of purpose. And no amount of corporate-speak can make up for the fact that someone’s been thrown into the void of an uncertain job market. You can’t replace that easily with another ‘empowered engineer’ or a Zoom call about “streamlining operations.”

The Layoff Trend: A Symptom, Not a Solution

This isn’t just happening at Intel. This is a pattern across the tech world. Meta, Microsoft, Google, they all do the same thing: laying off employees as their first solution. When things go wrong, the response is always the same: “Cut the staff. Problem solved.” But the problem wasn’t the staff. In fact, these companies are literally throwing out the one thing they still have left, people with the skills to get the company through tough times.

How long until companies realize that layoffs aren’t a sustainable solution? Cutting jobs might save money short-term, but what’s the long-term cost? Burnout? A drained talent pool? A culture of fear that stifles creativity and productivity? Eventually, the company ends up stuck in a perpetual cycle of downsizing and patchwork solutions.

The Real Opportunity: Rethink, Don’t Cut

Instead of firing people, what if companies focused on fixing internal issues? What if, instead of looking for ways to downsize, companies re-invested in training, innovation, and leadership development? Imagine a world where organizations focused on building stronger teams, addressing inefficiencies, and fostering creativity, rather than just slashing staff.

But let’s get real: how can we make more money to support more people? It’s about growing the business, finding ways to increase profit and market share, creating demand that allows us to keep people employed and even grow our workforce. A stronger financial base allows for more employees.

Layoffs should never be the first resort. They’re a quick fix that ignores the real issues. Companies that continue down this path are hurting themselves long-term.

The Final Word: Stop Playing the Layoff Game

Let’s stop pretending layoffs are the answer. When companies start laying off employees, they’re not just eliminating jobs, they’re eliminating opportunities, trust, and long-term growth. The message it sends is loud and clear: “You’re disposable.” And in a world where talent is scarce, that’s a risky message to send.

So, to all the companies out there, stop cutting for the sake of cutting. It’s time to stop playing the layoff game and start thinking bigger. Your employees deserve better. Your business deserves better. And the world deserves better than more companies clinging to outdated strategies.

Laid off? You're not broken, you’re at a pivot point. I work with smart, talented people every day to figure out what’s next and build careers that actually feel good (and pay well).

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