"They don't even count people, just see them as numbers to reduce/scale up."

I'm remember of when I went out for drinks with a startup consultant friend and she mentioned one founder she spoke with refer to his staff as "biological units" when addressing use of proceeds to hire additional staff.

That is bonkers but I will enjoy calling my friends “biological units” from now on

This is sickening. People that don't realise that companies are made of people are in for a surprise. Once they go public, they forget that, and it shows.

A company_is_ the sum of its people, their talents and aligned behind a mission statement.

This is so far misguided, I can't help but think this 'biological unit' of a founder won't last long.