The reason why companies cut jobs while increasing prices for the same or worse products...... is.... wait for it..... money printing. NOT some new found level of corporate greed, companies have ALWAYS been greedy. It's not a change in greed. It's the result of the covid shutdowns where money printing was increased at the same time as the production of goods and services declined. That economic imbalance is still being felt, and of course money printing has re-accelerated after the big inflation scare caused them to temporarily cool it down.