Don't have to announce layoffs if you can make a few percent quit.

It's clearly a combination of stealth layoffs and "because we can" attitude by a lot of C-suite right now.

Labor market is soft, so they will take as much as they can while they can, on the status quo bias of "in-office must be more productive, especially if employees don't like it".

It's the dumbest form of stealth layoffs as it's random untargetted regarding the company's actual department/role staffing needs.

Particularly the older people who have settled and can't relocate. It's like age discrimination without all the annoying legal drawbacks.

This also filters for subservience.