Nero fiddled while Rome burned, and Microsoft (MSFT) got Sting to play in Davos the night before announcing massive layoffs.
The tech giant is facing backlash after hosting an event in swanky Davos, Switzerland during the World Economic Forum Tuesday.
The Wall Street Journal described the event as an intimate gathering of "50 or so people" that included top executives at the company who were serenaded by the sweet sounds of 80's rocker Sting.
Just a few hours later, colleagues of those top executives would send a 'Message in a Bottle' that Microsoft was laying off 10,000 employees, the largest cut the company has made since 2014 (or about 25 years after Sting had his last hit record).
"We’re living through times of significant change, and as I meet with customers and partners, a few things are clear," said CEO Satya Nadella, who was in Davos this week, in his message to employees.
Some of the employees were left questioning the shape of Microsoft's heart due to the timing of the concert and layoffs, according to the Journal.
Microsoft expects the job cuts to conclude in March.
Layoffs Hit the Tech Sector
Tech layoffs were big news in the fourth quarter, with more than 97,000 jobs being axed in 2022, according to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
That is a 649% increase from the 13,000 tech jobs that were cut in 2021.
That trend has continued into 2023 with both Microsoft and Amazon (AMZN) announcing big cuts to their employee headcounts in January.
But the flip side of the equation is that 72% of laid off tech employees found new jobs within three months, according to an analysis by Revelio Labs, Business Insider reported.
