This is going on so much that people have coined a term, "Stealth Layoffs." Not just Sprint, it's going on everywhere the past year or so.
Some say it seems like a coordinated effort by corporations to conceal layoffs and the true state of the economy. Although others simply refuse to believe that, it does fit the bill, regardless of whether you want to believe it.
Why?
My guess is the govt wants to promote the "Booming economy" narrative, and daily announcements of thousands of layoffs doesn't exactly support that narrative. All it takes to believe this is understanding that governments and corporations work hand in hand.
That isn't hard to believe, since we already know govt's purposefully create loopholes in the tax code for large corporations, which small companies can't access.