> This has not at all been my experience. When forced to do layoffs in a large company, executives tend to look at performance reviews
Speaking specifically to Facebook and Instagram, I know of more than one team where the manager wasn't consulted when someone higher up (I think they were advised by BCG) chose whom to cut.
The kicker? They frequently cut the highest paid. That obviously removed with a bias towards seniority. But it also meant that managers woke up to find their best-bonussed people gone while their worst performers--the cheapest on paper--remained.
Happened to me. Ranked near highest in company, promoted, pay bump two months before a layoff targeting US staff. They kept engineers in Australia who made 50-60% less. Before severance ran out, I landed a job that paid 50% more than before. Layoffs don’t indicate that much about the people laid off; they say a lot more about management.
Speaking specifically to Facebook and Instagram, I know of more than one team where the manager wasn't consulted when someone higher up (I think they were advised by BCG) chose whom to cut.
The kicker? They frequently cut the highest paid. That obviously removed with a bias towards seniority. But it also meant that managers woke up to find their best-bonussed people gone while their worst performers--the cheapest on paper--remained.