Dear PepsiCo,
Congratulations on letting go so many people during one of the most difficult job markets .Truly, give yourselves a high five — while those you've cast aside face an uphill, stressful battle filled with uncertainty. Some may now struggle to pay their bills, access medical care, or even put food on the table. And in return for their loyalty and hard work, they’re sent off with pennies on the dollar as a token gesture or forced to take early retirement. You should feel warm and fuzzy inside!
Have you truly considered the impact of your actions on the lives you've disrupted? You pushed people past their limits and still demanded more. Countless individuals poured their time, energy, and loyalty into building your iconic brand — often willingly and without question. And yet, you chose to show them how replaceable they are through quiet internal reorganizations, public layoffs, the questionable promotion of inexperienced interns, and the dismissal of dedicated employees who did nothing to deserve it.
It’s pretty clear the mental well-being of your employees is not a top priority — if it were, your business practices would reflect it. This industry is already high-pressure by nature, yet you continue to amplify that stress by demanding the impossible demanding more-more-more.... just like The Grinch.
Let's not forget Only one fictional character has ever promised the moon and delivered — and let’s be honest, Chester, that’s not you. Somehow collectively the organization has managed to drive an iconic brand straight off a cliff. While the world is watching it happen. Cant even lasso the market now.
When employees take the initiative to connect with like-minded professionals working on the same product — even outside their formal role — they risk being punished. Yes, you read that correctly: grown adults, simply doing their jobs and building valuable relationships, are treated like misbehaving children. Why? Because someone in lower-level management decided it was unacceptable. You promote a culture of “speaking fearlessly,” but if those voices don’t mirror your own — even when they benefit the business — they’re silenced and penalized. Have you thought about adding Bully to the job titles?
Bravo — for continuing to keep long-time employees in positions of power who behave like children and take pride in belittling others during meetings, knowing there will be no consequences. Their reward? The thrill of boasting about it to their teams afterward, as if it were some grand achievement. Perhaps at the next town hall, consider handing out awards for the biggest tantrum thrown to get one’s way — regardless of whether it benefits the business. Why hide it? You might as well start publicly celebrating the toxic behavior you’ve allowed to thrive behind closed doors.
Let’s take a moment to reflect — remember all the times warehouses were packed beyond safe capacity, violating safety codes and putting employees at risk? You should be proud. Proud of how well you’ve conditioned your workforce to stay silent, even when their safety is on the line.
You should be proud of the workforce you’re shaping. Maybe it’s time for a new motto: “Stop complaining. You should feel lucky and privileged just to have this job—even if it means sacrificing your mental health. And hey, count yourself fortunate that, for now, you’re not being let go.”
You may not realize it, but your company has become the subject of case studies—not for exemplary business practices, but as a cautionary example of what not to do. Professors don’t even need to know you by name to know who you are when mentioned in discussion; the scenarios alone are familiar enough due to the repeated patterns of poor behavior. Congratulations are in order—your reputation has made its way into upper-level classrooms, teaching future business leaders exactly which unethical practices to avoid.
Pat yourselves on the back for offering hush money to employees of a certain age and/or with disabilities as you quietly show them the door—just to prevent them from coming together and exposing your poor business practices. It’s truly disheartening to hear professionals at all levels, including management, mock individuals for the pace at which they speak or for anxiety triggered by their workload.
Congratulations on fostering a culture where bullying is tolerated, and colleagues feel empowered to belittle others in meetings. What uplifting message would you like to send to those enduring this treatment—not only in your workplace but in their personal lives as well? Are you at all feeling accountable for anything?
Let’s not overlook the so-called inclusive environment you’ve created—one where certain races dominate departments despite underperforming compared to their peers. Meanwhile, high-performing employees are dismissed under questionable pretenses, often because they don’t share the same race or gender. And, of course, the final decision frequently rests with a long-tenured employee entrenched in this flawed system.
Will you be sending Christmas cards this year to the employees you’ve let go? Since you promote caring about communities. Perhaps one to the individual who was quietly enduring an abusive relationship, saving every paycheck to build a safe and stable future for their children—until you decided to cut their role. Or maybe to the household already struggling to survive on a single income: due to the other spouse being laid off or that the other spouse is a cancer patient unable to work or is a caretaker to family —how does it feel to graciously hand down a “BOGO” deal: no income and no access to affordable benefits.
Does it bring a sense of satisfaction knowing you played a role in crushing someone’s hope? What happened to social responsibility? Your marketing proudly promotes a commitment to community and giving back. So where is that compassion now, when it’s needed most?
Be proud of the future generations you’re actively marketing to join your team. But are you also telling them the full story—that someone else, who was performing exceptionally and carrying greater financial responsibilities, was let go to make room for them? That they’re stepping into an environment designed to mold them into thinking one way only—until they’re no longer seen as useful or dare to challenge the status quo in the interest of doing what’s actually best for the business?
Are you letting them know—during this exciting internship experience filled with catered meals, sporting events (Go Team!), and community volunteering opportunities (a great moment to pat yourselves on the back for promoting “giving back”)—that in just a few short months, they’ve received more recognition and perks for doing far less work than many of your long-serving, loyal employees have seen in years?
Congratulations on wining and dining the next generation, while offering little more than table scraps to the loyal, seasoned employees who helped build the foundation they’re walking into. How does it feel knowing you let go of someone supporting a family—someone who gave years of dedication—to make room for a recent graduate who’s had every advantage in life and minimal real-world experience?
It must be a difficult business decision: choosing those who proudly clock out the moment their shift ends, over those who consistently went above and beyond. But hey, emotions have no place in business anymore—right?Here’s an idea: if you're truly about giving back, why not start a campaign to support the very people whose roles were eliminated to make way for this new wave of talent? I hear GoFundMe works great for that.
Whatever happened to the return-to-work program—the one that was barely promoted and quietly faded into the background? Most of the participants either left voluntarily due to a toxic work environment or were eventually let go. It seems these individuals, despite being experienced, highly educated (many at the master’s level), and motivated to reenter the workforce, weren’t considered as valuable as twenty-something interns.Why is that?
Could it be because they’re older, harder to mislead with surface-level branding, and more likely to question unrealistic expectations—especially in a company that offers minimal training and poor support? Some were even told by their managers, “I didn’t ask for you on my team,” or, “Well, if this doesn’t work out, at least you have a spouse to fall back on,” without the slightest understanding of their personal circumstances.
So here’s the question: why wasn’t the returnship program run with the same enthusiasm and investment as the internship program? Where were the networking events, community-building outings, or meaningful development opportunities? Or was this initiative simply a short-term solution to fill post-COVID workforce gaps—a low-risk, high-optics move, knowing these returners would likely be among the first to go when "tough decisions" had to be made?
What if… you paused to recognize that building a brand and driving business success should be about more than enriching top-tier executives or allowing directors and mid-level managers unchecked authority to make biased decisions? Imagine if those in leadership—many of whom once rose from humble beginnings—chose to lead with empathy, serving as true mentors and champions for others. What if they genuinely took the time to listen and uplift as many people as possible from the bottom up? Now that would be a brand worth believing in.
Imagine the impact—headlines celebrating a company that transformed itself from sinking into dysfunction to becoming one of the most genuinely respectful and rewarding places to work. As we move forward on our mission to deliver healthier, nostalgia-inspired products to consumers, why not also look back? What if we reached out to the talented individuals who were wrongfully let go and offered them a chance to return? Now that would be a powerful story of redemption, integrity, and possibility.
And what if you had an HR team that not only protected the business but also created space for employees to express concerns professionally—without fear of retaliation? Imagine truly living up to the promise of fostering fearless, open dialogue like you promote. That would be game-changing.Oh—but that kind of openness only seems to apply under a very specific set of conditions… your conditions. Conditions that are often bent and reinterpreted to serve individual agendas rather than the well-being of the organization as a whole. Silly me—I momentarily forgot how the system really works.
It’s disheartening to say, but unfortunately, this kind of behavior is far too common across corporate America. Big corporations—you must do better. If the executives at the top are unaware of what’s happening on the ground, it’s time to reconsider who’s leading. Replace them with individuals who are both compassionate and business-savvy—leaders who understand that empathy and performance are not mutually exclusive.
We don’t have to become soft as a society, but we do need to move beyond the “Me Mentality” and work toward a greater goal: strengthening our economies, creating real opportunities, and recognizing the potential in those who may not look perfect on paper—but consistently outperform long-tenured employees and younger counterparts alike.
It’s time for real change. And as you reflect on your values, ask yourself honestly: do you truly have the right to claim you don’t discriminate… when your actions say otherwise?Let’s strive to create an environment where the American people can once again earn a living wage—where hard work genuinely leads to a stable, comfortable life.
Is it a company’s responsibility to provide this? Clearly, not entirely. But what if…?Do executives really need to make millions and receive golden parachutes despite underperforming? Why can’t the employees on the front lines have the same security? How much money does it take to be truly happy? What are these exorbitant salaries really compensating for?
What is someone’s self-worth, anyway? It seems that a big ego combined with a lofty title at the top somehow makes a person worth far more than the everyday worker struggling to buy a used car, see a doctor, provide braces for their kids, and pay off student loans.
Let’s strive to create an environment where the American people can once again earn a living wage—where hard work genuinely leads to a stable, comfortable life.
Change? Absolutely, let’s do it,” one might say—after all, it makes for excellent publicity: helping Americans flourish in the land of opportunity. Let’s be the catalyst for progress in a faltering economy.
However, large corporations tend to carefully navigate the delicate balance of politics while adhering strictly to the letter of the law.
Consequently, this ‘land of opportunity’ increasingly resembles little more than a hollow promise.Of course, such meaningful change will never materialize. They can shake their head with a knowing smile—relieved to have sidestepped that idealistic notion. How fortunate it is for us to be sitting on our golden thrones with our golden parachutes.
...Entertaining Read...