If I do my python right, from 2010-2020 they grew by 2.5% annually, from 2020 to 2025, they grew headcount by 3.7% annually.

After the layoffs, they'll apparently now have grown by 1.0% annually since 2020.

So yes, from 2021 to 2023, they had a huge spike, but overall, it's a net slowdown in growth relative to the 2010-2020 period.

If this was about reversion to the old pattern they'd have done a smaller set of layoffs or simply wait for a few years of zero growth.

Or a pickup from 2015 - 2021 which was 0% growth.

It's tricky to pick an end-of-decade year also - recessions tend to happen +/- 2 years of the end of each decade in the USA, or at least have done since records began in the 19th century. For example 2010 was recovery over 2008/2009's bust. It's not like comparing March to Ma4ch for a crude seasonal adjustment.

You did the Python right but the analysis wrong. Looking at it on a graph you can see that interpreting a single growth rate for the entire period (even if you stop pre-covid) doesn’t make sense.

You can see linear growth from 2010-2017. Then slow decline or at best a flatline from 2018-2021. Then they went crazy in 2022-2025.

Now if we just do 162k - 30k we are back to 132k, basically same ballpark as pre-COVID.