I think "low performance" is typically just a scapegoat. the real reason is they simply don't need that many empolyees to maximize profitability.
which one is Microsoft?
Union leader is one approach. But really if the US had a proper safety net, universal healthcare, and progressive taxes on capital accumulation, layoffs in OPs framing would not be nearly as bad.
The real issue here isnt the layoffs. Its that the top are pulling up profits, theres no quality healthcare for the unemployed (and getting worse), SFH are all levered up making the price unattainable for the average worker and high risk bc layoffs, etc.
The frustrating part is how dead simple the solution is. Universal healthcare. Progressive taxation that applies equally to capital gains. Block SFH investments (by investors and average joes alike). Maybe not emough, but light years ahead of where we are.
> [the New Deal architect, A. A. Berle] argued that corporations should "serve ... all society" through legally enforceable rules
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berle%E2%80%93Dodd_debate
"profit is the only goal" is not a law of nature, it's the outcome of a specific system of laws.
It certainly isn't the worker.