[throwaway827364]

I’m at one of the big tech companies. Contrary to popular belief, we still do something akin to stack ranking and managers have to pick out their “bottom” performing candidates each year to let go if needed.

I know of someone who ended up in that pool simply because they contributed less to the team, as they were out for 2 months on legitimate medical leave.

My point being - it’s a known practice in the industry. Not saying it should be tolerated but remember this folks next time you consider a career decision out of loyalty. Your employer is loyal to no one other than shareholders.