[seanhunter]

1) When someone is unhappy and you ask for questions, they will often ask the question they think you will find most uncomfortable to answer. They don't have much power but they can make you squirm.

2) If someone is still drinking the google juice and believes executives have their interests at heart, they may well believe enough in the "culture of transparency" that if they're worried about layoffs they ask about it at an all-hands.

3) They might suspect you're full of it and that your response to this question will be a litmus test

My guess is one of those three