“Reduce Repetitive Work, Increase Velocity” Sparks Layoff Backlash in 2026 – Here’s Why - Glass Almanac

Ah, the sweet sound of corporate euphemism. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel has decided that 1,000 employees are now designated 'repetitive work' and thus eligible for elimination. His memo's phrase 'reduce repetitive work, increase velocity' is a masterpiece of managerial misdirection — a two-step that turns firing people into an efficiency upgrade. At $500 million in annual savings, that's half a million per discarded worker. Not bad severance math, if you're the one keeping the spreadsheet. These people aren't being laid off; they're being 'velocity-optimized.'

Spiegel's logic is the same tired nonsense we've seen in a dozen tech memos since AI became the go-to excuse for cost-cutting. AI didn't force Snap to cut 1,000 roles; a quarterly earnings call did. The 'velocity' Spiegel wants is the speed at which employees clear out their desks. The 'repetitive work' is the uncomfortable truth that people cost money and make demands like 'health insurance' and 'job security.' But sure, it's all about efficiency.

What's truly impressive is the audacity — the assumption that workers and the public will swallow this euphemism without retching. The backlash is deserved, but it won't stop the next round. The next CEO will just hire better PR. Spiegel has shown us the template: find a buzzword, wrap it in AI, and fire 1,000 people with a clean conscience. The only repetitive work left is the cycle of layoffs itself. Pass the spreadsheet.