I have a simple question - why does this entire industry believe that laying off employees with most knowledge and experience will solve problems that were not created by them, but by the inadequate and self serving upper management?
I'm pretty sure this approach never actually worked for anybody, and yet it keeps happening. Why?
It keeps happening because developers and technologist are deemed as replaceable whereas management sees themselves as the lord of the castles.
Layoffs prop the stock price up
Always
In short term
Long term, they destroy value
They believe they will save more money than the experience is worth.
Bernd Leukert (boss) was let go, yes, but mainly because there were tensions between Bill McDermott and him. Björn Goerke (space ship guy) might also be gone, as he wrote in his Twitter bio (rumor has it that he might be joining Google now). But we don't yet know for sure if he was let go or if he left of his own accord. Point is, more regular developers than top management were let go.
Wasn't the top management folks also let go? The space ship guy and his boss?
And yes they should've consolidated everytime they acquire big company, so that it doesn't comes to such a situation where lot of people are have to be let go.