I've been part of a big layoff round once

You should add more nuance I think. While this is a respectable way to see employer / employee relationships, it does not apply to every company / employee out there. In particular, I think this is very true for BigCo, where most people are seen as fungible cogs. The smaller the company, the better.

The problem with this is if you leave awful companies after not working there for very long then new companies will not want to hire you. It doesn't work both ways. They only get the benefits. You do not.

> The more you earn, the higher the risk that at some point somebody decides that they want to spend less / smarter. And it applies to everyone up to the CEO. At my company a new CEO came in to much fanfare. A year later they were unceremoniously turfed out because the board decided they weren’t up to the “new direction” the company needed to go. And not to mention the people under the CEO who road her coattails. They were all turfed in quick succession (or smartly saw the writing on the wall and bailed first). It’s a business relationship. That’s all. Treat it as such. Get as much money as you can. Don’t kill yourself in the hope your sacrifice will be repaid, it probably won’t. Basically take the emotion out of it. When management talks of “our big family” they are just saying that because people like to hear it. It’s not true. And once you’ve gotten enough years under your belt you st…

It is a business relationship, but they always trying to convince employees that it is not. That it is a family, a friendship relationship. You should be reliable, you should help everyone in your "family". If you leave your "family" abruptly it is a kind of betrayal. Also funny is brainwashing employees to think that HR is their fried, that HR can help with issues at work. It is a business. Do minimum amount of work you've been hired for, get your paycheck and focus on your private life!

And this goes both ways, employees can go out as they please. The opposite party usually get hurt when it happens (either the firing or employee go out), and usually coworkers / existing workers that get the bad things. So in my experience, don't get too attached to company (or coworker either), and go out if things start to go south or if there's better opportunity out there.

> I actually got a fair deal and honestly I needed the wake up call that job security is a big illusion. I was just coasting in my career and a bit too comfortable. Many people fall for this and as long as you are an employee, no job is ever secure. > I've been doing startups and freelance work ever since. Which means I'm my own boss now and I've learned a lot in the decade since that happened. This gives some hope that there are those that have learned from the illusion and are now realizing that these companies do not care about you.

I was laid off my last job, of 27 years. I didn't actually mind. It was completely anticipated, and we (me and my team) were pretty much ready. I think the company made the correct decision, but the reason they got there, was because they made a whole cascade of rotten choices, that painted them into a corner they couldn't get out of, easily. I really wish that they would have involved me in some of the really dumb decisions they made, because I'm actually pretty good at strategic thinking, and could have easily advised them of alternatives. But what is done, is done. The really annoying part, was coming out of a 27-year "silo," into the current tech industry zeitgeist. Nasty culture shock.