Tech's Cruelty Comes to Washington: Is Government Becoming the Next Tech Layoff?
Why the adoption of tech's layoff practices is a cause for concern in Washington
Many are understandably shocked by the reports of federal employees being let go with no notice, no severance, and even threats. It's a harsh reality, and unfortunately, it's a practice well-known in the tech industry – Tech 101, straight from their playbook.
Someone in my network posted about this, and it hit me hard:
'No notice. No severance. This is the standard the executive branch is setting for our entire economy. Imagine you arrive at work one day, and there's a termination letter in your inbox, not from your supervisor, but from some random HR person. You had a good performance review and several performance awards. Your boss's boss's boss says they don't want you to leave but it's out of their hands. You walk away from your office at the end of the day. The next day you find out that severance isn't in the cards.'
Been there, seen that, got the t-shirt. Tech's motto? 'Feelings? We don't do feelings. If you have them, you're a bad engineer.' And 'Scientists? Nah, we just need engineers.' Funny how the scientists are the first ones out the door, right?
Let me give you some real-life horror stories:
The Relocation Nightmare: Remember that post a couple years back? Family moves from a tech-exporting country to Seattle for a data scientist gig at a huge tech company. They sell everything, uproot their kids, the works. Boom! Laid off before they even start. Thousands of others too. You thinking what I’m thinking? Don’t! They didn’t come from a developing country. They were recruited!
The R&D Massacre: I knew this AgriTech company, super innovative, R&D for 25 years. Then they get a new president, Mr. Standard-American-Tech. 'We don't need scientists, just engineers.' They axed the whole R&D department. Guess what? Company folded in three years. Coincidence? I think not.
The Fear Factor: Years ago, we were working with an aerospace company on a killer IoT satellite solution. Great idea, game changer. Then, poof! All my contacts vanish. My posts, which they liked, unliked. Emails ignored. Turns out, they were getting acquired by a tech giant. Why the ghosting? Because I liked a post criticizing the big tech CEO on LinkedIn. They were scared it would mess up the deal. Talk about a dictatorship.
Here's the lowdown on tech's twisted logic:
Minions, Not Talent: Tech companies want replaceable cogs, not brilliant minds. They break everything into LEGO pieces, so anyone can fit in. No one's irreplaceable, which means everyone's disposable.
Agile: The Ultimate Micromanagement Tool: Agile isn't always bad, but it’s the perfect excuse to micromanage, keep everyone scared, and squeeze out more work. It started in software, now it's everywhere.
Defense Contracts: The Real Game: Tech companies either make something society loves, and die, or they make something the military loves, and get rich.
So, what's happening in government? Tech people, trained in the cruel tech industry, are now in charge. They're fixing things (or breaking them, who knows?) the only way they know how: fear, micromanagement, and treating people like disposable assets. Because, at the end of the day, it's all about the investors, right? Now they want to agile the whole country!
Why the threats to resign first?
Why not phase the layoffs?
Aren't federal employees people too?
And here's the kicker: they don't get it. They don't understand that brilliant, innovative people are also independent and sensitive. Mistreat them, and before you know it, you lose the AI race to DeepSeek. Mistreat them, and you lose the country. You want to win the new space race? You need thinkers, not minions. And here is the irony: the foundational innovations of the tech industry are often born from scientific research, making these cuts a potential self-inflicted wound to long-term progress.
This tech-style callousness in government? It's a huge red flag. We need to talk about it, and we need to change it.