Rod HiltonFeb 14, 2024

Paramount kept their staff on hand to handle stressful conditions, surely kept lots of folks on-call to ensure the Superbowl could be streamed on their service, had record viewership numbers and then immediately laid off 800 of the people who helped give them that success the next day so that the executive leadership could pocket all the profits without sharing it with the labor force who built it.

Seriously. Eat the rich.

https://deadline.com/2024/02/paramount-global-layoffs-begin-ceo-bob-bakish-1235824028/

Paramount Global Layoffs Begin; CEO Bob Bakish Tells 800 Departing Employees, “Your Talents Have Helped Us Advance Our Mission”

Paramount Global has begun a planned round of layoffs, with an estimated 800 U.S.-based employees affected.

Deadline
Show threadAJ Young 🎥 📽️

@rodhilton That's an awful lot of conjecture to say that the people who worked on the Super Bowl were then laid off the next day. Any sources?

My wife was laid off at Hasbro in 2020 and it was ultimately part of a consolidation strategy by the company. Seems like the case with Paramount.

Before you jump on me, I'm a union DP who is staunchly pro-union, BUT I'm fully against misinformation.

Feb 14, 2024 at 3:31amWeb
Show threadRod HiltonFeb 14, 2024

@ajyoung you're missing the point.

Everyone who worked at that company 2 days ago was supporting Paramounts goals, which included Paramount+, the Superbowl, etc. Everyone played a role.

And I promise you that lots of people were on-call and it was an all-hands-on-deck situation heading into the biggest broadcast of the year, and none of the people who were working that hard knew that layoffs were coming within days of it happening.

RECORD viewer numbers the day before 800 layoffs.

Show threadAJ Young 🎥 📽️Feb 14, 2024

@rodhilton Replying to myself since I can't continue this conversation publicly because @rodhilton blocked me:

Where are your sources? Who was part of the full staff on call for the Super Bowl that was laid off?

Work force reduction is common. It's not a matter of the rich pocketing profits because lay offs don't happen at profitable companies. Legacy media companies like Paramount and WB aren't profitable.

You should be upset with the lack of social safety net for those laid off.

Show threadFelichsFeb 14, 2024

@ajyoung @rodhilton

"...because @rodhilton blocked me..."

A good idea is a good idea

Show threadRod HiltonFeb 14, 2024

@felichsdakatze @[email protected] yeah I block everyone who pulls this kind of meta-argument shit.

"cite your sources" I don't need any, the article + basic common sense + my experience has me beyond certain that the weeks leading up to the Superbowl was "we need folks to really go the extra mile, the success of this company hinges on this, make sure you have primary and secondary on-call personnel for your team" rah rah stuff and not a single one of those people knew a layoff was coming the day after.

Show threadRod HiltonFeb 14, 2024

@felichsdakatze everyone who replies in bad faith gets blocked and "well technically not 100% of people laid off specifically worked directly on the Superbowl" as a counterpoint, which is something I didn't even say, is as bad faith as it gets.

Block losers, life is better

Show threadTor Iver WilhelmsenFeb 14, 2024
@ajyoung @rodhilton Maybe he decided that life is too precious to waste ant of it debating corporate bootlickers?
Show threadAJ Young 🎥 📽️Feb 14, 2024

@toriver @rodhilton I'm a freelance UNION Director of Photography in the film industry who picketed with both WGA and SAG last year and will be voting yes on a strike with my union this year.

Do I sound like a corporate bootlicker?

Show threadTor Iver WilhelmsenFeb 14, 2024
@ajyoung @rodhilton When you make the clearly wrong statement «layoffs don’t happen at profitable companies». Either that or you don’t know that the stockmarket likes layoffs. Also, check the evils of «stack ranking»