A CRISIS OF TRUST
It’s the layoff edition of a broader phenomenon I’ve been following among America’s CEOs: the end of the era of corporate do-gooderism and make-the-world-a-better-place discourse.
Empathetic leadership, all the rage during the COVID-19 era, isn’t part of the conversation anymore. And the lack of respect that employees have subsequently felt from their employers is accelerating a crisis of trust in big business.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has come to embody this leadership transformation. In 2022, when the company cut 11,000 employees, Zuckerberg – as was the practice of many CEOs at the time – took accountability for poor decision making. “I know this is tough for everyone, and I’m especially sorry to those impacted,” he said.
Fast forward to January 2025, when Zuckerberg said he was cutting about 5 per cent of staff by moving out “low performers”. The blame had been shifted.
There was no acknowledgement of what such a public statement might mean for the future job hunts of those impacted, and certainly no “I’m sorry”. As Zuckerberg has said, he is done apologising.
Layoffs are a reality of corporate America, and they’re not going away. But that doesn’t mean they need to be cruel. As Sucher told me, companies preparing for a cut should have a mantra: for the right reason, in the right way.
