1. It's more a matter of respect in the process than the act. People are notified out of nowhere, irrespective of performance, and they need to quickly change many plans. You do that to a company and it's "unprofessional". The double standards are real

2. Given the economic conditions, I am more sympathetic. Normally a large severance would he good reassurance that they'd land on their feet. But I see more and more devs (especially game devs) going through year long gauntlets just to find something not as good. Tim, in comparison, will manage.