The big tech layoffs aren't about "economic realities" or simply streamlining operations—Silicon Valley is moving to slash rising wages and bring an increasingly empowered workforce to heel.
My 1st column for :
Conversation
Historically, this approach has worked, as Malcolm Harris () points out in the piece. Big tech has kept labor costs low via a range of techniques, from mass layoffs to, most famously, perhaps, outright collusion. This time, however, it might finally backfire.
2
17
69
Workers with the union and the union at Microsoft tell me that the mass layoffs have been a huge, galvanizing event. Interest in organizing has never been higher, and this time, there's infrastructure in place to lend support & solidarity.
2
44
151
Time will tell, of course, but things do feel different this go round.
Thanks to the sources and workers who spoke to me for this piece, both on and off the record, and to my new ed -- and if you want to support this kind of analysis & reportage, subscribe!
1
9
41
If you have thoughts on this, especially if you're a tech worker impacted by the layoffs, DM me for my Signal or hit me at brian.merchant @ latimes.com
3
6
27
Show replies
I agree. It is also a way to whittle down their aging workforce under the radar.
1
10
