* Transparency is a core value for the company, but to be surprised by a massive layoff means that this transparency isn't real.
* You cannot succeed as a company by being reactive, and leadership is constantly changing direction. The number of half-complete projects there is astounding.
* Laying off the people that were willing to tell you a plan was a bad idea (vs simply saying okay and doing it) was a mistake. This has been a consistent pattern, and it means you are surrounding yourself with yes-men.
* There are repeated numerous promises around compensation, benefits, bonuses, option grants, promotions and title changes. Extra work is paired with the promise of one (or many) of those, and months will go by, ending in a layoff rather than a follow-through. They demand results of your work, you should demand results of their promises rather than trusting them to meet their end of the bargain at any future date.
* Shrinking your workforce is one way to increase your runway, but the other one is to find ways to work with more focus, trust your employees (especially the long term ones or the ones you have asked to lead teams) about the projects that need to be completed, and then give them the time to get that work done. Why ask for someone's opinion if you are going to railroad them anyway? Either ask and act, or save the time and dictate.
Honestly I'm just gonna stop there because I feel like I am beating a dead horse.