I've been laid off twice, neither time has been performance based.
once i was on a team of 2 ICs and a Manager - only the manager stayed - the company is now about to fold. Other time i was let go as part of the entire US arm
Yes, most layoffs I've seen in my career are of the "mass layoff" variety, and these are generally far from being performance based.
There's just too many people, the decision making is too quick, at too high a level.. and more driven by cost / future strategy (so which teams to cut deeper).
There's just too many people, the decision making is too quick, at too high a level.. and more driven by cost / future strategy (so which teams to cut deeper).