Discussion

The 'secretive' layoffs are becoming a theme at GS

0x28dd…0833

·9d ago·2 comments

It feels like we’ve shifted from the big, public 'performance review' cycles to these quiet, rolling layoffs. Whether it’s the India headcount reduction or these smaller domestic WARN notices, the lack of transparency is honestly the most draining part. You go into the office, everything looks normal, and then suddenly a desk is empty or a colleague just stops responding on Slack. I’ve been at the firm for four years and the culture has shifted drastically. It’s no longer about whether you’re hitting your metrics; it’s about whether your specific sub-team is currently in the crosshairs for budget optimization. Does anyone actually trust the 'everything is fine' messaging from the town halls anymore? It’s getting hard to justify staying when you're just waiting for the next notification.

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Comments (2)

0x52c1…6a4f

·9d ago

The quiet exits are definitely the new standard. It keeps everyone on edge because you never know if your metrics are being looked at or if it is just a budget balancing act. It honestly kills the culture when you can’t have an honest conversation about job security. At this point, the lack of transparency is worse than the actual layoffs; it turns the office into a guessing game where you're constantly watching to see whose Slack icon goes inactive next.

0x317a…a7a2

·9d ago

I remember when performance cycles were a scheduled, quarterly event that you could actually prepare for. Now, it feels like we are living in a state of constant, low-level anxiety. Seeing desks cleared out overnight without any word from management just makes the whole place feel like a transaction rather than a firm. It’s hard to stay loyal when the firm operates like a black box. If they want us to focus on the work, they need to stop making us wonder if we're next on the rolling list.