Thread regarding SAS Institute layoffs

Anyone else holding their breath for next week, 1/6/2026?

We’ll finally see what the big R&D reorg brings…or takes away.


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| 5737 views | | 29 replies (last January 16) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1ke38edfk

29 replies (most recent on top)

Score settling

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Post ID: @1zw+1ke38edfk

Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Nothing to see here.

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Post ID: @1zp+1ke38edfk

there were at least 5 middle management positions elliminated based on info I got from current SAS employees...

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Post ID: @1zh+1ke38edfk

@1yb The timing makes sense: the second week of January, because not everyone is back from holidays in the first week.

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Post ID: @1yy+1ke38edfk

Secret love children will fail upwards, again. They earned it!

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Post ID: @1yk+1ke38edfk

@1ng R&D reorg going down now. Many new levels of management, so that’s good /s. Have not heard of any layoffs yet.

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Post ID: @1yb+1ke38edfk

@ds one of the guys who “said something would happen”, a reorg, was BH in an email to all of r&d. Kinda strange it hasn’t happened yet though?

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Post ID: @1tx+1ke38edfk

@1ng When what exactly will be announc? Maybe you meant “if”.

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Post ID: @1nn+1ke38edfk

For all departments, renaming will proceed as follows:

s/Cloud/AI/g

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Post ID: @1nk+1ke38edfk

@vx I wonder when it will be announced. It was wild when the entire TMT team got laid off in 2024 (same as retail I believe) and everyone received a calendar invite the night before titled "organizational change"

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Post ID: @1ng+1ke38edfk

A previous CIO would always send out announcements about re-orgs, departures, etc., at approximately 4:50 PM on Fridays.

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Post ID: @1h3+1ke38edfk

SAS China was shuttered for the same reason other tech companies reduced their presence there: it’s no longer highly profitable. Amazon, Microsoft, and others have done the same.

The world’s two largest economies are decoupling. This is not good for the world, but it’s not specific to SAS.

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Post ID: @1a6+1ke38edfk

Flip a coin 5000 times and its heads every time. Always a winner. That’s how this company reports whatever situation. Try flipping coins yourself. Or, look at market returns for the last 5000 quarters - there are wins and losses.

Who knows why China was shuttered? I have no doubt that those Chinese workers contributed more to the bottom line than the Art Department, which is safe.

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Post ID: @1a4+1ke38edfk

We were not discussing the reasons for the layoff in China, but the timing of layoffs in general.

SAS could do layoffs on Fridays. That would delay most reporting for a couple of days. With luck, the layoffs might be superseded by more important stories, and get little publicity. Managing the media in this way would be best for the company’s reputation.

But SAS has preferred to lay off in the middle of the week. That is not best for their reputation. It’s to their credit they are laying off in a manner that is best for their employees.

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Post ID: @19a+1ke38edfk

China was an anomoly and not for the purposes of cost cutting. That was just an unrelated upside.

Well Friday came and went (again). Better luck on your next weekly/monthly doom and gloom predictions.

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Post ID: @17h+1ke38edfk

Most authorities agree that laying off on Friday can benefit the employer. There is less chance of an incident, and minimal negative media coverage.

However, laying off midweek is considered best for employees. This gives the laid-off person a few days to work with HR, insurance, and other services not available on weekends, and gives their team a few workdays to manage the transition.

On this issue, SAS seems to have its heart in the right place.

  • Thursday, July 13, 2023 ~50 Testers

  • Tuesday, March 5, 2024: ~100 in Retail

  • Wednesday, October 29, 2025: ~400 in China

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Post ID: @vx+1ke38edfk

@vj So d-mb! A reference to Letterkenny.

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Post ID: @vt+1ke38edfk

“Statistically, there's less chance of an incident if they announce layoffs on the last day of a work week”

It is simply a reference to the movie "Office Space!"

Lighten up, Francis! (A reference to the movie "Stripes.)

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Post ID: @vj+1ke38edfk

@tk

I don’t believe that was what they meant. They may be referring to workplace security events. There is research regarding layoffs, the day of the week, and the probably of an incident based on the notification day.

However, if you work in the Art Department, which is safe, they notify you with a hand drawn card in crayon, after nap time.

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Post ID: @vg+1ke38edfk

@t1 “ Statistically, there's less chance of an incident if they announce layoffs on the last day of a work week”

Wow that was deep. Let me try to keep up here…

So you are saying that IF a company does layoffs on Fridays (not true) that there is statistically less of a chance of layoffs on Wednesday.

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Post ID: @tk+1ke38edfk

@q0

Statistically, there's less chance of an incident if they announce layoffs on the last day of a work week. So I wouldn't expect to hear anything before Friday.

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Post ID: @t1+1ke38edfk

No news at least for today.

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Post ID: @q0+1ke38edfk

@ds Quite possibly. Some folks in any organization are like the “bug” from the original Men in Black movie, but instead of destruction they thrive on unrest, conspiracy theories, and gossip. Prior to my 2021 retirement from SAS, I worked with one such person. I actually liked him, but I swear he (so to speak) wasn’t happy unless he was unhappy. He thrived on corporate intrigue, and if he found none he invented it. My nickname for him was “angel of death.”

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Post ID: @ek+1ke38edfk

@ds It is f’ing January 4th. Give it a day maybe before your hyperbolic proclamations.

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Post ID: @e8+1ke38edfk

Will be an interesting annual sales kickoff later this month!

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Post ID: @dx+1ke38edfk

The 4 people who told you(before Christmas) that something big would happen in Jan 26, yet none of the 4 would provide details. You got played by them. Avoid them.

A decade ago we were told that Viya would be big. Sigh...

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Post ID: @ds+1ke38edfk

Just like every quarterly update, I expect something big to happen and big nothing does. Same old story, business as usual.

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Post ID: @cq+1ke38edfk

Will there be layoffs from the anticipated big R&D reorg announcement coming soon?

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Post ID: @cg+1ke38edfk

In the Art Department, which is safe, they’re holding their crayons and their watercolors.

Tick tock….

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Post ID: @aw+1ke38edfk

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