Yes! If I'd just been fired, the last thing I would care about are their feelings, and how my firing is part of the "strategic goal" I am no longer involved in.
He also mentioned taking full responsibility. That line should have been followed by how he did that. Pay reduction for himself? Upper management?
They don't really care what the people they're firing think as long as they aren't upset enough to sue or cause other problems.
Messaging like this is for the people who are still at the company. Talking about "strategic goals" is trying to reassure them that the company isn't on verge of collapse.
Drew has always been this self-centered. About a year ago he got up in front of the whole company to whine about how engineers are eating too many potato chips from the kitchen, announcing "belt tightening". Completely ridiculous statements from a multibillionaire.
Around the same time the company paid out very little of nominal bonus plan. I quit over the bonus fiasco and many other people in my area left at the same time for the same reason.
Yes it actually happened and it is not even the first time that I've had to suffer through a gazillionaire whining about how software developers' Doritos appetites were too costly. I had previously heard the same thing during Google's "scrappy" phase.
> This is a hard message for me to send
> This is one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make in my 14 years as CEO
No one asked how you feel, Drew. You'll be fine.