#corporateculture

That all hands? That will be where Dan tells us

• we did amazing, what a strong quarter
• we are the worst carrier and everything needs to change
• first, we need to cut cost
• in order to improve efficiency and to better serve and delight our customers, and given the inflow of people from Frontier, we will lay off another 8% of staff
• turnarounds are amazing, the best thing ever (assuming you survive)
• we will shuffle the deck chairs and do a reorg - we'll find a cozy spot for all the useless execs and keep paying them for a long long time (like Hans, Shankar, etc)
• fear, I mean, transformation and cost savings, will be a permanent 'feature'
• now stop complaining and go back to work so Dan can earn his guaranteed $31M between now and the end of next year

I’m looking at all the people between me and MW on the upstream ladder… 9 layers total. Looking closer, I truly don’t understand how this org chart got approved. MW has (arguably) at least 3 layers of unnecessary management between him and the front lines. Take MN for example - he only has 3 (and that is being generous) real employees reporting to him. Within those three, CN seems to be running 70% of the company.

Even MW’s team is pretty small if we look at the very top. Arguably the only people of consequence that report directly to him are RB, EB, FM, and MN. That’s it? What gives?

I know at least a few low-level senior execs read this forum. How about we send MN & BN into retirement with a nice package, give BN’s job to CN; and have Shale & Tight, Exploration, Offshore, and International/miscellaneous all report directly to MW along with a midstream person & the various corporate support leaders. Dump everything else in operations underneath those people in one, big, beautiful org chart.

Is the idea that MW isn’t involved in operations in the slightest, and MN/CN are expected to handle everything? I’m not a McKinsey management expert, but generally it seems like the more you understand what your company actually does on a day-to-day basis, the higher quality your decisions. I find it hard to believe that the current structure facilitates this kind of transparency for MW.

Didn’t MW explicitly call out this problem in SETH ‘24 when he blamed middle-management filtering for clouding the disaster that was FGP? So why did we go and keep the same number of people between MW and the front lines?

In 2030, maybe we should try flattening the pyramid instead of narrowing it. Food for thought!

Happy WFH Monday everyone.

For years, T-Mobile’s all-hands meetings were a masterclass in celebration: employees were praised for the company’s success, urged to give themselves applause, and reminded to work even harder. Yet behind the fanfare, priorities were shifting. After the Sprint merger, leadership focused on maximizing revenue per user, raising prices, and adding fees to hit short-term financial targets and pad executive bonuses. The company’s disruptor identity eroded, and now, massive layoffs hit the very employees who had been lauded as the source of T-Mobile’s success—while top executives collected millions. The contrast between the celebrated “people-first” message and the reality of corporate priorities could not be starker. I wish luck to you su-kers left. Enjoy the Kool-aid.

Amazon has announced a new round of layoffs as part of its plan to eliminate 30,000 corporate jobs. The latest cuts will remove 14,000 corporate positions across Amazon Web Services (AWS), retail, Prime Video and human resources.

https://capacityglobal.com/news/amazon-job-cuts/

They've apparently exhausted the AI excuse. I've been working in corporations for nearly three decades. Heard every justification under the sun. It's always been just greed, sprinkled with incompetence and laziness at the top.

Amidst layoff's? LOL. Given the number of D promotions, did I somehow miss the closing of the data articles within the consent order? Some of the names on the promotion list to D...laughable. Zedro knowledge of anything even remotely related to data governance, but they excel in bootlicking for sure.

All of senior management. That’s why they are outsourcing

For himself and the people behind the curtains. The goal is to strip this thing down to bare minimum costs, maintain a revenue stream and healthy cash flow and dump it off private equity style. He most certainly doesn't work for shareholder or the stock price. The men behind the curtains pull his strings.

In the year 2000, the avg stock price between BB&T and Suntrust was $37.88 per share. In 2000!!!!! It’s hovering around $51 per share now. Horrific return for shareholders but somehow Bill’s compensation keeps climbing? Throw the thief out!!!

In case you haven’t heard, severance is no longer funded by the company at corporate higher level. Organizations have to absorb those costs now. Those orgs are not going to be as willing to lay people off vs just firing for whatever reason they come up with.

Matt Igoe- number 2 BNSF to RJ Corman
Colby Tanner -BNSF Executive Officer to OmniTrax
Tammy Middleton - chief BNSF Chief Legal Executive and executive officer -appointed to OmniTrax Chief Legal Officer

Top 3 under Katie Farmer all to shortlines in less than a year, all of which have either taken over BNSF mechanical facilities or TY&E terminals, or in OmniTrax took over facilities only to have BNSF come in later and take them back over due to substandard maintenance and Inspections

Starting to see a pattern, of which history repeats itself, when OmniTrax came in significant cuts were made to BNSF system wide with a 10 year hiring freeze in mechanical, of which led to understaffing, increase in injuries, and foreman hiding in bushes to watch mechanical until a safety rule was violated so everyone was on a level S until they decided to terminate an employee for minor infractions, so everyone was walking on eggshells

Welcome to corporate America. They call it ‘restructuring’ when profits are protected and people are discarded.

There’s a particular flavor of workplace dysfunction that thrives in Chicago offices, and it’s the kind everyone pretends isn’t racist, s-xist or classist because they call it “fit” and “professionalism.” But we see it. Who gets promoted. Who gets visibility. Who gets coached. Who gets written up for the same thing someone else gets praised for. HR isn’t confused; they’re complicit! The end! IF you dare say something about the disparities—how certain faces always rise and certain others always plateau—you get the corporate sermon about “opportunities for development” or “taking initiative,” as if the issue is your work ethic and not the rigged ladder. Meanwhile the pay here is an insult with direct deposit. They tell us morale matters, they tell us culture is important, and they host a lunch once a year to prove it. But when people burn out, get vocal, or simply ask for livable raises, suddenly the budget evaporates. Funny how it returns every time a favorite gets bumped up a level.
The worst part is they know morale is low. They’ve known. They’ve done surveys, held town halls, launched committees, ordered branded mugs and stress ba--s. The answer is not a mystery. People are tired of being underpaid, undervalued, and watched like suspects while the chosen few glide. And don’t come at me with the classic “If you don’t like it, leave.” Leave to where? They are all hiring at the same salary and running the same playbook? The whole ecosystem is built on keeping people grateful for scraps while pretending the problem is our attitude. We shouldn’t have to contort ourselves into silence or gratitude to survive a job. We shouldn’t be expected to normalize racism dressed up as “professional readiness” or favoritism dressed up as “high potential.” We shouldn’t be made to feel disposable while being told culture is everything.
Morale doesn’t matter here!!!! People matter here only when they’re useful and only when they look like the archetype leadership already decided on. And I’m tired of the lie that this is just how corporate life works. It doesn’t have to be. They just choose it.

https://dos.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2023/09/f-2023-0525.pdf

Not your performance or dedication. Worse, actually. Being both skilled and experienced pushes you towards the top of the list, because quality is costly. Don't bother trying to prove yourself in the coming weeks, or doing extra work in an attempt to save your job. Definitely don't take being laid off personally. In this stage of corporate greed and extreme short-term thinking, it's more likely a badge of honor than a statement on your worth as an employee.

If there are indeed layoffs, they will only be for employees who joined in the acquisitions or employees on mid range salaries. Developers, QA, support engineers and product managers will be fired but never HRBP or development managers with complaints against them. There are many employees who continue to be very highly paid and keep getting a higher salary and more stock options every year. That's because they get it once in March and their network triggers a reorganisation in the middle of the year where they get promoted or have a role change. In all my years at SAP, I have seen this happen all the time and this is only intensifying since the talk about layoffs. So even if there are any layoffs, expensive employees who should be laid off will still be there and those that deserve or do more will be asked to leave or be given such a pitiful salary increment and bad performance that they will have to leave. Also, you can expect only employees from Walldorf and St Leon-Rot to head all important positions in the new acquisitions and in other locations. No matter where most of the team members are, the managers will almost always be based in Walldorf and St Leon-Rot now. And once the back to office shenanigans start they will give a bad performance to any report who isn't based in their location.

Regarding executive bonuses, the executive board will get them. They have the supervisory board in their pocket and the Works Council is too powerless to revolt or strike or do anything about it. CK got €18 million as a bonus in addition to his salary when he vowed to fire 10000 employees. And if the supervisory board wanted to keep him in check, they would have given that as stock options and not in cash. But they gave him cash. He and most of the executive board members will live comfortable lives even if they have to resign or leave now. But they will squeeze every million out of SAP before they go. A lower share price only means that they will intensify layoffs. And the entire SAP strategy is based on AI and a complete shift from the core business. If AI fails, SAP will lose everything. But the board is too incompetent to come up with any real strategy or an alternative plan in case AI is a bubble. There is no real SAP strategy besides 'build only AI features and make customers pay more' and 'lay off as many employees as possible to reduce short term operating costs'. That is sufficient for them to squeeze money off SAP and leave. Most employees don't realize that the money that is given to the executive board comes from the savings by laying employees off and from reducing their benefits and salary appraisals budget. It is like blood money. But CK, Dominik Asam and others have so many fans within SAP, they will do anything for them. The future is truly lost now and there is no hope.

You guys got it all wrong. It’s all about saving the youth from isolation. Fighting traffic, fighting for office space and waiting for the next round of layoffs is needed to save humanity! See and hear for yourselves. :-(

https://www.wsj.com/video/series/wsj-leadership-institute-leaders/why-atts-25-billion-plan-demands-a-new-corporate-culture/91BB8221-DDDA-49CB-B565-5356447B351F?mod=WSJvidctr__pos0

I’m asking you to message your director, your executive, your head of department to voice your frustrations. Let’s be real we have proven the remote model works very well. Acquiring BBVA and FirstBank, launching the new PNC website, onboarding over 11 million customers to a new user experience, beating earnings on a consistent basis, consistent dividend increases, record net income multiple times, becoming a top 5 national bank, and most importantly for the executives - a record high stock price less than a week ago. Let’s be real on another front, this announcement is driven by politics, power and greed. Don’t fall for the excuses. Well my friend Jamie Dimon did it, so why can’t we? Our shareholders don’t like empty buildings. Yea right our shareholders care about one thing only, ROI. (See above) Don’t fall for the corporate buzzwords that PNC loves to slurp on. “Being in the office fuels collaboration, sparks innovation, and helps us grow–individually and collectively.” In realty from someone who was five days in office, being in office fuels distractions, a longer commute, a reduce in W/L balance, and our carbon footprint (remember PNC loves the carbon footprint buzz-phrase). When a director or executive visited our floor, we were never approached or asked questions and if we tried to introduce ourself it was at the most a quick wave hi and goodbye. There was no collaboration. You took the time out of your busy schedule to come visit us and we couldn’t get a word in. Which is ironic because here we are yet again at a time where we are not given a chance to get a word in.

Long time FTE

bP writing down Billions in foolish investments and then will try to save money on bog rolls or changing the thermostat in offices

I've heard from several corp. colleagues that this movo company has been contracted by 3M. Here's the website: https://movo.co/

If so, this would mean all trust is gone.

Can someone comment if this is true?

There needs to be a real reckoning with what unchecked corporate power does to human beings.

What happened to EMC after the Dell takeover wasn’t just a business shift. It was a dismantling. A culture was stripped, people were discarded, and decades of loyalty were erased, all in service of financial objectives set by someone who would never bear the consequences. That kind of damage doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when wealth insulates leadership from humanity.

But it doesn’t stop at the billionaire level.
What made it even more disturbing was watching the layers of managers beneath them fall in line like puppets. The obedient middle tier. People who traded conscience for proximity to power. Who repeated corporate talking points as if they were truth, never questioning the harm being done, never stopping to ask who was paying the price.

That is the most chilling part: how programmed it all is. How sleepwalking managers enforce decisions they didn’t make, defend outcomes they wouldn’t survive, and convince themselves they are just doing their jobs. Completely unaware, or unwilling to be aware, of how thoroughly money and hierarchy have overridden their moral compass. This isn’t leadership. It is extraction enabled by obedience. It is cruelty made efficient by people who mistake compliance for professionalism.

If we are going to talk about accountability, it cannot stop with the billionaires at the top. It also has to include the systems and the people who carry out harm while telling themselves it is normal, necessary, or inevitable.

It is not.

The number 2 man under K F was just made president and chief officer of the number 1 short line in the nation that has been taking over BNSF locations, and that is how you take over a class 1 from the inside and get rid of employees at the same time, all the corporate secrets and behind the scenes negotiating to cut employees, and operate under the guise of making a business more profitable was just a means to put the number 2 guy at BNSF in charge of the short line rail responsible for shutting down and scabbing out the most BNSF terminals and mechanical facilities nationwide. Hostile takeover over of BNSF on the horizon to be scabbed out and sold to short line.

I’m genuinely surprised by the rumors of a Talk to Chuck reboot.

IIRC, the original campaign launched 20 years ago as a marketing initiative built on trust, integrity, and Chuck being approachable and aligned with everyday investors.

Hard to see how that message works the same today??

The majority of companies performing the most complex tasks on earth do not support PowerPoint presentations. That’s SpaceX, Anduril, Palantir…
Why are Shell employees enamored with PowerPoint slide decks?
Is this the best story telling? Medium…

Via new republic.com

“You’re all gonna do very well—Marco just gave me a note. ‘Go back to Chevron, they want to discuss something,’” Trump read, turning to look at Chevron Vice Chairman Mark Nelson. “Go ahead, I’m going back to Chevron, Mark.”

Rubio grimaced uncomfortably, as Trump patted him on the back. “Thank you, Marco,” he said.

“Was there a question, Mr. President?” Nelson asked.

“Yes, go ahead Marco, what are you saying here?” Trump asked, inspecting the note again.

BS is at the core of everything Verizon upper management does. So much so that they’ve started giving awards for “delighting the customer” to employees who have never interacted with a customer from near or far!

I don’t know if Dan Schulman is serious about turning the company around but it won’t matter because even if he’s serious, this kind of BS is going to nullify his plans. They will tell him whatever he wants to hear but won’t deliver while laughing all the way to the bank.

But don’t feel sorry for Dan. He’ll also be laughing all the way to the bank.

Anyone else exhausted by the Medical Solutions imposters? The ones who somehow weaseled their way in while pushing out the very people who built MedSol into what it was.

I keep seeing LinkedIn posts about being a “human-first” company, but who exactly are you talking about? Because you didn’t build this company on the tears, grit, and resilience you now like to reference. Others did.

Instead, you’ve dismantled what they created, playing dress-up in roles that never should have been yours, hoping to ride the strength of a brand you didn’t earn to advance yourselves.

In a world once criticized for “daddy ball,” we now run companies on buddy ball—where proximity matters more than competence and loyalty to the right people outweighs actual leadership.

To the imposters at the top who just arrived and have zero understanding of what it truly means to be a MedSol employee: you represent the lowest standard of Medical Solutions quality. In a single year, you’ve managed to create more failures than prior leadership did in years.

Shame on all of you.

I’d like to think that Citi would provide the usual severance package that they’ve done in the past rather than a scaled down just two weeks only.

I’d like to see Citi NOT put the squeeze on people to run them off so as to NOT provide a severance.

Unfortunately it seems that these are two rather huge “asks”. It’s embarrassing if they don’t but I’m afraid there’s too much emphasis on reclamation of money to expect otherwise.

I don't want this post to get washed away by Chevron's HR Trolls. Please help keep it alive and post your thoughts here or on the original post, 8 down.

These execs DO NOT care about you. They speak nicely and then will sc--w you.

America is at a breaking point and we all feel it. My heart goes out to my fellow employees living through these times, lord knows our employer isnt helping things. Pray for peace and less corporate headcount savings.

I believe their gonna cut so much more then most think Crazy this firm will consult to cut more management but yet their benefiting Executive Hires (McKinsey Alumni): Several high-ranking Verizon executives are former McKinsey personnel, including:
Alfonso Villanueva: Recently named Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer, effective November 2025. He was previously a Senior Partner at McKinsey, where he led the Telecom, Media & Technology practice across Asia Pacific

The truth of it all is this….
Other banks made the bold claim that by the EOY there will be tremendous cost savings. Citi, like so many times in the past, did not want to be left out, so they made the same boast. Needless to say, its not unfolded as they thought. There’s been no huge cost savings to the level they thought, so they are scrambling to recoup some bucks. Cutting to the bone to feed into the shell game to the shareholders and the board “see, we saved money like we said”.

Needless to say and\or its quite evident, this does NOT affect Jane Fraser’s recent massive boost in pay. For that, just chop more heads.

This is important, never forget that Jane’s increase in salary while they are chopping heads or needlessly placing people on PIPs, has been deemed acceptable. THIS is what they think of the value you bring to the table and how expendable you truly are.

https://www.ms.now/opinion/doj-dei-corporations-probe-fraud

It's the corporate culture itself, built on maximizing shareholder value. Leadership across the board is identical, particularly in banking. They'll all do the same thing - slash costs to signal Wall Street and pump up the stock price, prioritize the next quarter without exception, and never give a damn about employees or customers.

Buckle up, it’s coming. And the chosen few will get lower ratings to destroy their bonus amounts too.

SAP has money for share buybacks but no money for giving employees salary increments and benefits. SAP has money to increase executive board bonuses but no money for giving employees salary increments and benefits. SAP has money to invest in AI products that have no future but no money for giving employees salary increments and benefits.

In addition, Joule and other AI slop added to flagship products do not have a good adoption rate. Customers are not willing to pay a premium price for AI features that are unnecessary or downright bad and only increase costs. So they will look at alternatives for one or more products within the SAP ecosystem.

And every single discussion regarding these exact points is derailed by unsavory comments. I sincerely believe that SAP does not need any layoffs but they are doing so simply to instill fear and use this as a bargaining chip to pay less money to employees while the executive board maximize their bonuses. Every good comment here is followed by some bad ones that force the topic to be derailed.

And the only way to fix this is to highlight the real reasons why Dominic Asam, Christian Klein and others want layoffs.

We need to stop the infighting. Because the only people benefiting from this are the executive board and highly paid area heads and VPs and managers who don't add value but have very high salaries. And the losers are ALL SAP EMPLOYEES if we keep fighting between ourselves.

On that note, can someone please share more details about the reorganizations in 2026 Q1? And if there are any more details about any potential 2026 layoffs.

To: My Valued Cost-Centers (Employees),

​Happy New Year! As I sit here in my climate-controlled, triple-glazed corner suite, watching the sunrise over the yacht club, I couldn't help but feel a fleeting sense of warmth—though that may have just been the heated massage function on my Italian leather chair.

​2026 is the year of Synergy, Sacrifice, and Shareholder Supremacy.

​The Triumph of the Office Return
I want to personally congratulate those of you who have successfully navigated the commute to join us in the office at least 3 days a week. Seeing you all hunched over your laptops, participating in Teams meetings with the person sitting three feet away, truly warms my heart. It’s that "water cooler magic" we talked about—even if the water cooler was removed to make room for another row of unassigned lockers.

​I’m aware that some of you have complained about the Hot-Desking Lottery. Look at it as a daily adventure! Will you find a desk with a working monitor today? Or will you spend your morning playing "musical chairs" with a tangled nest of broken HDMI cables? If you find yourself working from the broom closet again, just remember: it’s not a "broom closet," it’s a Cozy Collaboration Pod™.

​Efficiency: Our North Star
​While you are busy creating value for our institutional investors, I have been busy ideating. To ensure we are squeezing every drop of "lemonade" out of our human capital, I am thrilled to announce several Employee Wellness & Productivity Initiatives for Q1:
​Bio-Break Benchmarking: We’ve noticed a slight dip in keystrokes during mid-morning. To help you stay on track, we are installing "Smart-Flush" sensors. If a restroom visit exceeds the mandated 120-second "Standard Relief Window," an automated alert will be sent to your manager to discuss your time-management skills.

​The "Big Wael" Policy: In the spirit of your favorite office slang, we’re aiming for maximum efficiency in all... movements. If you’re going to "take a Big Wael," please ensure you’ve pre-filed a "Functional Downtime" request. We wouldn't want your lack of productivity to be as disappointing as a stagnant stock price.

​Oxygen Optimization: Studies show that humans exhale carbon dioxide, which is bad for the environment (and our ESG score). We are considering a "Breath-Per-Minute" tax to encourage calm, shallow, and highly efficient respiration while at your desks.

​Vertical Desking: Why sit or stand when you can lean? We are replacing chairs with 75-degree padded planks to ensure no one gets too comfortable. Comfort is the enemy of the 52-week high.

​Looking Ahead
​Remember, every time you struggle to find a functional mouse or spend 45 minutes looking for a stapler, a shareholder somewhere gets their wings (or a slightly larger dividend). You aren't just "employees"; you are the fuel we burn to reach the moon.

​Now, stop reading this and get back to your Teams call. I can see your "Active" status flickering from here.

​In Solidarity (With the Board),
​The CEO

A big personality will have convinced the powers-that-be that he can make a difference. He just needs to enact his special game plan.

The new year will start and the plan enacted. People will move, scores will be settled.

Then they’ll take their new recipe for the same cow patty, ball it up, and throw it against the wall. It won’t stick. It will run down the wall and slump to the floor as always.

They’ll adjust this strategy throughout the year. Same effect, with more score settling.

At the end of the year, the cycle will begin anew with a new big personality.

Watch and see.

Spot on. OP: @16v+1kdadhpwr

To: My Valued Cost-Centers (Employees),

​Happy New Year! As I sit here in my climate-controlled, triple-glazed corner suite, watching the sunrise over the yacht club, I couldn't help but feel a fleeting sense of warmth—though that may have just been the heated massage function on my Italian leather chair.

​2026 is the year of Synergy, Sacrifice, and Shareholder Supremacy.

​The Triumph of the 4-Day Return
​I want to personally congratulate those of you who have successfully navigated the commute to join us in the office four days a week. Seeing you all hunched over your laptops, participating in Teams meetings with the person sitting three feet away, truly warms my heart. It’s that "water cooler magic" we talked about—even if the water cooler was removed to make room for another row of unassigned lockers.
​I’m aware that some of you have complained about the Hot-Desking Lottery. Look at it as a daily adventure! Will you find a desk with a working monitor today? Or will you spend your morning playing "musical chairs" with a tangled nest of broken HDMI cables? If you find yourself working from the broom closet again, just remember: it’s not a "broom closet," it’s a Cozy Collaboration Pod™.

​Efficiency: Our North Star
​While you are busy creating value for our institutional investors, I have been busy ideating. To ensure we are squeezing every drop of "lemonade" out of our human capital, I am thrilled to announce several
Employee Wellness & Productivity Initiatives for Q1:
​Bio-Break Benchmarking: We’ve noticed a slight dip in keystrokes during mid-morning. To help you stay on track, we are installing "Smart-Flush" sensors. If a restroom visit exceeds the mandated 120-second "Standard Relief Window," an automated alert will be sent to your manager to discuss your time-management skills.

​The "Mike Wirth" Policy: In the spirit of your favorite office slang, we’re aiming for maximum efficiency in all... movements. If you’re going to "take a Mike Wirth," please ensure you’ve pre-filed a "Functional Downtime" request. We wouldn't want your lack of productivity to be as disappointing as a stagnant stock price.

​Oxygen Optimization: Studies show that humans exhale carbon dioxide, which is bad for the environment (and our ESG score). We are considering a "Breath-Per-Minute" tax to encourage calm, shallow, and highly efficient respiration while at your desks.

​Vertical Desking: Why sit or stand when you can lean? We are replacing chairs with 75-degree padded planks to ensure no one gets too comfortable. Comfort is the enemy of the 52-week high.

​Looking Ahead
​Remember, every time you struggle to find a functional mouse or spend 45 minutes looking for a stapler, a shareholder somewhere gets their wings (or a slightly larger dividend). You aren't just "employees"; you are the fuel we burn to reach the moon.

​Now, stop reading this and get back to your Teams call. I can see your "Active" status flickering from here.

​In Solidarity (With the Board),
​The CEO