Layoffs

6 people were laid off from the company that is currently paying our salaries (ironically, none of us were laid off, even though we haven't contributed anything or raised any sort of funding yet).

In a big company, that might not be a big deal, but there's only about 15 or 16 people left.

I feel really bad for those that I hung out with outside of work, since they were very bright and worked hard. In a perfect world, they would be recognized and appreciated for their contributions instead of being laid off. In all honesty, though, most of them were looking for a way out anyway and weren't exactly happy working there. But it would still be nice to leave on your own terms instead of someone else's.

I can think of people that should have been let go instead of those that were, but I suppose that politics sometimes plays a bigger role than merit.

We should have determined the layoffs Survivor-style, where everyone votes for who they want out. That way, we'd build morale within the company (since everyone is united against the deadweights), and we'd also get rid of those who are the most disliked (and probably least productive). Two birds, one stone.