I’ve been at Viacom for a very long time (17 yrs).
Long enough to see they’re up to their same reprehensible tactics. The first to go are usually PERMAlancers who aren’t covered by equal employment laws and are given no severance. They’re then quickly followed by many entry level employees, namely assistants and coordinators. Those in the latter group tend to be people of color so there’s a double whammy as they act as the “diverse” head-counts in departments.
Lastly, older staffers are always on the chopping block. Age discrimination remains a real problem at the company. If you hit the 15+ year mark, you’re on borrowed time. It appears anecdotally that all three groups have been hardest hit again in this ‘reshuffle’.
This is why unionizing is important. There should be transparency on who exactly has been let go so Viacom, Bob, the board and Shari Redstone can be held accountable.