[candiodari]

I have never known layoffs to actually "cast off dead weight". And, frankly, even if they miss that by 5% (ie. 95% layoffs are actually dead weight) they will still kill morale in the entire company. And, let's not forget, even the slightest hint of layoffs will make every middle manager, from VP to team leader, become totally untrustworthy. From your perspective as an IC, to each other, and to C-suite execs. They will lie and cheat, in groups, sabotaging whatever effort there actually is, from the C-suite, to cast off that dead weight.

And once morale is gone, it is a very short time until there is nothing but dead weight.

If there is a way to cast of dead weight with layoffs, I've never seen it happen. I've seen layoffs kill companies entirely, and make them into dead husks, unable to die, but even less able to live. But that's the best possible outcome.