Predictions for the next few months:
Phase 2: oh now we are sure we want to incentivize buyouts (if we were not b4)
New hiring to replace opt outs and quitters: they are gonna scrutinize these with eye on filling gaps with wbd employees where they can. At the same time if you are a wbd employee with lots of seniority and benefits — ehh don’t get your hopes up.
Once merged, immediate cuts to finance, ops, legal, marketing, comms, and creative that don’t make actual content.
Cutting lots of execs who don’t actually create or do deals
Stip to be lowered except for teams identified as necessary from competitive standpoint — eg folks we need to keep away from google etc.
Outsourcing to intl positions where layoffs can be easily done if needed
Outsourcing hr and legal where possible/cheaper
More use of ai to fill functions
Finally none of this will be swift or strategic. Just a long toilet bowl swirl to where it needs to get to.
High chance it all fails due to debt and reliance on shrinking linear.