[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.