[growt]

After reading through the other comments about bending spoons and reading yours again: the bending spoons CEO is technically telling the truth! They intend to run the acquired companies forever. After cutting most of the staff, but he didn’t say that part of course.

[csallen]

I wouldn't even say it's "technically" the truth. It's just the truth. Nothing in the statement even comes close to implying that there wouldn't be layoffs. Hell, one of the quotes even mentions "focus", which if anything is a euphemism or hint for downsizing in these kinds of statements, not the opposite.

[onemoresoop]

"excited about this partnership, which we believe will unlock even greater focus for our team and customers as we continue to strive towards our global mission to be the most innovative and trusted video platform in the world for businesses"

There's no hint of laying off all the staff here though. Now it sounds like they "were" excited to lay off people to maximize profits.

Maybe "unlock even greater focus for our team" means to unlock their focus to find other jobs but it's quite perverse. I agree with the OP, that "Words no longer appear to mean things"

[csallen]

> There's no hint of laying off all the staff here though. Now it sounds like they "were" excited to lay off people to maximize profits.

What? Just because a statement says "we're excited to do X" doesn't mean they're not also planning to do A, B, C, Y and Z.

I'm not defending the layoff. It just seems weird to interpret the statement itself as somehow being misleading about a subject that it literally didn't mention.

[johnnyanmac]

There's letter and spirit of the word. You're arguing against the spirit of the word because the letter of the word is technically impossible to prove as a lie right now.

We call this lawful evil logic for a reason. It's how you empower stuff like Jim Crow laws (or the current US administration in general. "Well he isn't going to actually invade a NATO ally, he's just saying he wants Greenland. I want a Ferrari!")

[hi_hi]

You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! :-)

Those words weren't truth. Truth would have been to state the intent to fire employees in order to maximise profit. This was always going to be the outcome, and it was expected, why not just state it clearly?

Again, when truth becomes a grey area that is to be manipulated for maximising profits that benefit a minority of privileged individuals, we should be concerned and at the least, not normalise it with "its just business".

[johnnyanmac]

I don't like layoffs, but if the statement in September said "we are going to lay off most of our talent in January for blah blah blah corporate mumbo jumbo", it'd suck but I'd see nothing wrong with it. The employees get a 3 month warning to plan around, and the company can do whatever it wants from there.

But that's not the society we live in.

[ryandrake]

A reasonable person, when told "Company A is buying and will operate Company B," would interpret that as "all of Company B" including its assets, liabilities, cash, property, patents, AND employees. They would not think "Well, ackshually, they're just buying the corporate entity itself, which doesn't technically involve keeping the employees..."

[csallen]

If "reasonable person" means "someone with literally zero experience reading any business or acquisition news whatsoever" then I agree with you. Hell, the OP literally begins the announcement with, "As expected."

[johnnyanmac]

>"someone with literally zero experience reading any business or acquisition news whatsoever" then I agree with you.

Most people aren't entrepreneurs, and they may be an older folk who grew up expecting companies invested in employee retention and building careers.

Those "reasonable people" were lied to.

[akavi]

Only if you believe the primary purpose of a corporation is to provide employment, as opposed to generating profit for its shareholders.

(To be clear, I think the latter is both descriptively true and normatively good)

[johnnyanmac]

if corporations only exist to make the rich richer, maybe it's time to eat the rich. Corporations' outward goals used to be to satisfy their customers. That may have never been the internal case, but it isn't even pretended to be so nowadays.

Severely downsizing the company isnt a good vibe to a customer. I'd definitely be migrating off Vimeo if I did any serious business with them.

[ForHackernews]

Any reasonable person who has paid attention to business news over their lifetime would not be surprised to see layoffs following a corporate acquisition.

[johnnyanmac]

> who has paid attention to business news over their lifetime

So, less than a percent of a percent of people.

[perlgeek]

Try to be innovative without staff though...

[johnnyanmac]

Here comes the AI buzzwords.

I wish I was kidding. Their search result brings up

>Vimeo AI-Powered Video Platform

anyone who knew Vimeo pre-pandemic knows how eye-rolling this is.

[gcr]

The Vimeo CEO is also right -- this action technically unlocks greater focus for their team!

[hi_hi]

Yes, this occurred to me also. If that is how he intended it, it is extremely disingenuous, at best, and another example of manipulation.