Maybe if they characterize the layoffs as performance-based that helps w/ unemployment insurance or keeps them from tripping some sort of CA labor law criteria?
Doubt it is an unemployment thing though b/c we fought unemployment claims in TX from people who -resigned- or had well-documented performance issues and lost
My guess? Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. Some tone-deaf VP saying "No, make us sound tougher and more bad-ass"