#efficiency

We have too many in-house counsels and law function leaders. I have seen 2-3 in house counsels in some internal meetings. They are tripping over themselves!

The function overall and within business lines has put in place “zipper model” org charts to align with similar hierarchy positions in other functions. This includes 1:1 law-to-business leader relationships. THAT IS NOT NEEDED post 2025!!!!! Other functions have rationalized cost, often serving multiple businesses (what we saw pre-2025). The zipper model is seen not just with the Law org chart, but also on how Law leaders expect to be advised by their senior counsels within a business. They want to be spoon fed, often to participate on an equal footing with other function colleagues.

Also, have you seen how Law function internal approval is sought? Tons of leaders are copied or addressed on emails. These are ornate emails that cut and paste from emails used in the business. It’s a who’s who of the function on these emails.

Law function work appears MOSTLY administrative and coordination in its nature. They are experts in keeping their function leadership aware of issues and managing the real work performed by others, including external counsel.

Can we make real and lasting change here?

Almost forgot to post about this. Heard a PL (not mine, she's amazing) one day the week before last say "Mission Simplify has nothing to do with layoffs and RIFs. It's all about operational efficiency."

Riiiiiiiight.

I can't help but wonder what most of the people in management positions actually do. They check in, they attend meetings, they send emails... What else? What do they actually produce? What value do they add? We have so many unnecessary layers that just slow things down and create more work for everyone else. It seems like we'd be so much more efficient with fewer managers.

CDW has recently conducted layoffs as part of an organizational restructuring. The company stated these changes are intended to sharpen operating discipline and reinvest in high-growth opportunities. This move aligns with CDW's AI-first initiative, aiming to enhance efficiency and customer focus. The exact number of affected employees was not disclosed. Previous layoffs at CDW occurred in July of last year and in April 2023.

Vernon Hills, Illinois

https://www.crn.com/news/channel-news/2026/cdw-cuts-jobs-as-ai-cost-cutting-drive-takes-hold

For those of you good at math, how many employees need to be laid off to reach a 55% efficiency ratio? GK said on the earnings call that the goal is 55%-57%.

Corus Entertainment is implementing another round of job cuts impacting its news and radio divisions. The company stated these changes are intended to enhance efficiency and ensure long-term sustainability. Specific numbers of affected employees were not disclosed. Programming adjustments will become apparent on air in the coming weeks. This follows a period of declining advertising revenue for both television and radio segments.

Canada

https://broadcastdialogue.com/corus-undertakes-new-round-of-layoffs/

Despite reporting strong financial results, Wells Fargo executives have indicated that additional layoffs are anticipated. The Chief Financial Officer stated the company can operate with fewer employees. This suggests a strategic move towards increased efficiency. Further workforce reductions are expected in the near future. The bank is focusing on streamlining its operations.

San Francisco, California

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2026/07/14/wells-fargo-bank-layoffs-job-cuts-earnings-ai.html

Who else is enjoying this revamped Bp process as much as I am? It’s so clear and efficient and instills confidence in the direction this company is headed.

A prominent technology company has announced significant job reductions impacting its workforce. This decision comes as part of a broader restructuring effort within the organization. The company aims to streamline operations and improve efficiency in response to current market conditions. Employees affected by the layoffs are being offered support services. Further details regarding the scale of the cuts are expected to be released soon.

https://www.polygon.com/xbox-cuts-layoffs-too-big-not-to-fail/

I know of no one that has ever been written up or chastised for not coming to the office though. If you are an individual contributor you did your job fine during COVID and there is virtually no reason for you to come into the office anymore. I mean the office is louder, more chaotic, food is as expensive as anywhere else. People are more likely to stand around and socialize than do actual work. The commute time of the individual gets baked into the work day more often than not because they only have so many hours before they need to take care of the household. It is abhorrently inefficient. To top it all off very few teams are fully located in one office. So you are effectively coming in to simply jump on conference calls with teams from all over the world literally. I can understand a once a week requirement just because we are social animals and there is genuine need for socialization with one another. Outside of once a week though it is strictly suboptimal working conditions. Also just imagine the savings if VZ truly sold off all its offices and cancelled all leases.

Perfectly stated, @jb+1kv47wr3d.

For those of you left behind, narcissist Leahy is going to hang on (at least) until the end of the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad. Good luck keeping the lights on while ducking the ever lowering deck of the CDW tractor!

Remember how the company lifecycle works:

1. Founder/Engineer – Builds a great product (Krasny)
2. Salesperson – Figures out how to sell it and grows revenue.
3. Professional Manager (MBA) – Scales the organization and optimizes operations (Edwardson)
4. Accountant/CFO – Focuses on efficiency, margins, and cost control (Richards)
5. Lawyer – Tries to manage the lawsuits, regulations, and decline (Leahy) <== You are here

We integrating to become more efficient and reduce cost. Don’t matter if you like the decision but tomorrow Xerox supposed to move to Lex CRM platform (a date already slipped) and the date moved again. Jeez. Sales Strategy and Sales Operations (a dangerous d-mb and d-mber) didn’t get the memo from LP about speed I guess. All just want to get on but not helped by delay.

Sonos recently implemented a new round of workforce reductions. The company cut 3% of its staff across several teams. Affected departments included user experience, product, and design. This follows an earlier round of layoffs in April. Sonos aims to streamline operations and improve efficiency.

Santa Barbara, California

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/telcos-media-tech/sonos-cuts-3-staff-across-user-experience-product-teams

JBS USA is preparing to cut about 2,000 jobs. The company will close two beef processing facilities. Pilgrim's Pride, a JBS subsidiary, is also shifting chicken production. These moves are due to significant profit losses in beef operations. The company aims for efficiency and invests in growing segments like poultry.

https://www.indexbox.io/blog/jbs-usa-to-lay-off-2000-workers-as-it-closes-beef-plants-and-shifts-chicken-production/

JBS USA |

BCE, Bell Canada's parent, recently eliminated almost 700 positions. These job cuts span various company divisions. The firm cited restructuring and efficiency improvements as reasons. The company dismissed approximately 690 staff members. This follows earlier dismissals for attendance record falsification.

https://www.thestar.com/business/bell-canada-parent-lays-off-almost-700-employees-citing-operational-changes/article_d94189f1-af3c-459f-8c61-ca6f66ff633a.html

Is it really the elephant in the room anymore? Is it a value add when you just create extra work to validate your existence and add work to teams that are already understaffed? We all know it’s to validate the existence of SB but this is just getting out of hand. Every week they recreate work that our teams are already doing. We have to pivot and adjust to keep up with this nonsense. WE don’t want your “help.” They create processes that aren’t efficient just to “look busy.” BTW - we have a procurement team that will manage POs from start to finish. In fact they do this for the ENTIRE company. I prefer to go to them! It’s simple. So why does SB want to hoard unnecessary work that creates a layer for everyone else? One guess - JM could never admit that her team doesn’t add any value. Instead we all have to drop what we are doing when they pull something new and inefficient out of their hat. They’ve run out of work and now they are digging for things. Get over it! Admit the work is fake and you are trying to take other peoples work to make yourself look “busy.” Insert eye roll here!

Monumental Sports & Entertainment is laying off about 30 employees. This reduction represents just under 4% of its total workforce. The company cited redundancy and efficiency as primary reasons for the cuts. These layoffs are part of an organizational restructuring tied to the Capital One Arena transformation. Monumental plans to reallocate resources and invest in other key areas like technology and fan support.

Washington, D.C.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/06/05/monumental-sports-entertainment-undergoes-layoffs/

Updated - F, 6/5/26.

The purpose of AI -

• To enhance (Productivity), (Efficiency); and to provide (Cost-savings).

• Employees are a line-item expense due to (Cost of Salary, and Benefits) from a business viewpoint.

  These are the facts.

How is it more efficient to have gone from using one tool.... Saleworks... to now using two tools DSA & Saleworks to track the same data? Also... the seperate data in DSA & Saleworks is less accurate or accessible than it was when it was solely in Saleworks. Make it make sense!!!!!!

Centra announced layoffs affecting approximately 90 employees. This represents about one percent of its total workforce. The changes are part of a company restructuring effort. Some laid-off individuals may apply for other open positions. Centra aims to reduce redundancies and improve efficiency.

Lynchburg, Virginia

https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2026/06/01/centra-to-lay-off-90-employees-as-part-of-company-restructuring/

Polaris efficiency is really just shifting of work to a different cost center. A few examples:

1. I now spend time every pay period downloading my paystub and emailing it to myself. This used to be automated. With Lolaris I now take time to do it that I would otherwise be working.
2. Time writing now takes multiple clicks and entering in archaic codes to get to the actual timesheet where in the former program it just opened up to the timesheet immediately.

Multiply these small time wasters by thousands of employees. Where is the productivity gain?

Any insight on what's cooking?

Pretty clear that there is no need for Project Managers anymore, and that they are rapidly phased out, together with the Portfolio Manager level of directors.

Feels like the operations side will be on the front burner, with focus on finding areas that can be made more efficient (i.e., layoffs).

After reading another headline article on a big media website, it got me thinking about AI use here at COP. I wanted to take a poll of how or if AI has changed your job in any way. Who is and isn't using AI tools? What is the roadmap for implementing tools to make your day more efficient? Do you foresee any jobs at COP in O&G being lost due to upcoming AI tech?

Fintech unicorn Rapyd is undergoing a major restructuring. It is laying off employees as part of this process. CEO Arik Shtilman announced a shift to an AI-driven business model. This change aims to make the company faster and more efficient. Dozens, potentially over a hundred, workers are affected by the cuts.

https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1r00jfrgzl

Why is it that in this company when people are called architects they're nothing more than admin assistants or when they're called engineers they're nothing more than non-technical analysts and why is it that these architects are performing administrative actions for these engineers while being denied access to provide valid implementation instructions?

Why are such efficiencies continuing to be the status quo and not replace by automation to remove these unnecessary administrative task items let alone the non-technical analysts who provide no value other than following steps on how to push buttons?

How is anyone supposed to be employed on this model for long periods of time let alone be considered a valid representative in their tradecraft?

This looks like a house of cards that's waiting to fall down due to a gust of wind or somebody walking by.

Overnight decision to move then out of the sla-ghter house currently known as Tech moves under Nish. Do we really need a chief privacy officer in that model and do we need over twenty people in a second line role where all of their functions were first line centric ? If we think of efficiencies and what matters for members this is pretty easy. This groups previous leadership fought tooth and nail when anyone dared to mention they belong in second line. (Judy and her leadership team) time to clean house I guess this is a no brainer. Any bets on what happens to a 25 person first line team moving into second line ?

BILL Holdings is cutting its workforce by up to 30%. This strategy aims to make the company leaner. The company also plans to leverage AI for increased efficiency. BILL Holdings faces headwinds from declining interest rates and SaaS sector pressures. Its stock has seen a roughly 20% decline year-to-date.

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4906834-bill-holdings-ramping-profitability-with-new-layoffs

Get ready to be laid off. Nextera Energy goes through annual layoffs to improve efficiency which is why they are so efficient.

Southwest Airlines confirmed layoffs impacting approximately 75 employees. This action is part of an operational restructuring to improve efficiency. Displaced employees will have the opportunity to interview for new and current open roles. These layoffs follow a recent $10 increase in baggage fees. The airline is also dealing with rising operating costs, particularly fuel.

Dallas, Texas

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-county/southwest-airlines-lays-off-employees-amid-restructuring/287-65ac613a-5e8a-4da3-a9c8-28c893ea3637

Verizon’s side of the house seriously needs to adapt some of the ways Frontier operates because, frankly, Frontier has always done certain things better. Faster execution, scrappier teams, less bureaucracy, and way less unnecessary process wrapped around every tiny initiative.

If I get added to one more Slack channel for something that could’ve been a two-sentence message, I’m going to scream. The amount of overcomplication is exactly why work slows down.

And leadership needs to be realistic about the culture issue. There are people on both sides who clearly don’t even want to be here anymore. Fine — give those people strong packages and let them move on. But keep the people who actually care, execute, innovate, and know how to get things done without turning every task into a 40-slide deck and six approvals.

Not everything has to be “the Verizon way.” Sometimes the better answer is already sitting right in front of you.

Gwyneth Paltrow's company, Goop, recently experienced staff layoffs. The company is transitioning to an AI workflow. Profitability and artificial intelligence are cited as reasons for the cuts. The exact number of affected employees remains unclear. A spokesperson stated Goop is adapting for efficiency.

https://www.tmz.com/2026/05/13/gwyneth-paltrows-goop-layoffs/

Verizon layoffs 2026: hundreds more jobs cut nationwide [ Yahoo Finance ].
Colleen Cabili
Thu, May 7, 2026 at 3:03 PM EDT

About six months after eliminating more than 13,000 positions in its largest-ever single round of layoffs, Verizon has confirmed a new wave of cuts totaling several hundred jobs across the country.

Without offering a precise figure, Verizon characterized the scope as under 1% of its global workforce, Business Insider reported. Smaller business units bear the brunt of the reductions, with Verizon's Basking Ridge, New Jersey campus seeing the heaviest impact.

"We're continuing to add head count to grow parts of the business that are growing while making targeted job reductions to portions of the business where this is needed," a Verizon spokesperson said in a statement.

At a time when many employers have pointed to AI as a rationale for headcount reductions, Verizon explicitly ruled out the technology as a factor in these cuts. Workers who lose their jobs can pursue any of the more than 1,000 U.S. roles currently listed on the company's careers page.

On last week's earnings call, CFO Anthony Skiadas described the company as operating with a leaner structure since the prior year's cuts and signaled that efficiency efforts would extend past 2026. During the same call, CEO Dan Schulman highlighted AI's growing footprint at Verizon, pointing to reductions in vendor support costs of up to 70% and a 40% gain in software code output.

When announcing the November 2024 cuts, Schulman characterized the scope as company-wide and said the savings would be redirected toward improving the customer experience.

https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/verizon-layoffs-2026-hundreds-more-190352303.html

Sturm, Ruger & Co. implemented job cuts earlier this year. The firearms manufacturer disclosed these layoffs in its first-quarter earnings report. This "reduction-in-force" occurred in February as part of a restructuring effort. The company aims to improve efficiency and support long-term growth. Ruger recorded $2.5 million in severance and related expenses.

Southport, Connecticut

https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/ct-gunmaker-ruger-discloses-layoffs-amid-restructuring-efforts/

"Leahy said the multi-year cost management and efficiency ‘Geared For Growth’ initiative has paved the way for the AI-first focus of the plan going forward."

Okay, spill the beans...what is this, did they roll out CoPilot?

Disney executives discussed potential future workforce changes. CEO Josh D’Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston spoke on an earnings call. The company aims to build a "culture of efficiency." They plan to shift expenses towards content and technology. Disney is also exploring AI to improve operations and guest experience.

Burbank, California

https://deadline.com/2026/05/disney-layoffs-workers-ai-culture-of-efficiency-1236882815/

Coinbase is reducing its workforce by 14%. CEO Brian Armstrong shared the news on X. He cited a need for greater company efficiency. Armstrong also noted AI's impact on changing work processes. Engineers now use AI to complete tasks in days that previously took weeks.

https://www.businessinsider.com/coinbase-layoffs-ai-brian-armstrong-job-cuts-letter-2026-5

Anyone who's actually used AI knows it's not replacing humans. Some highly specialized, deterministic models can enhance the work, that's all. Most of the time, it's just a convenient excuse to offshore or cut roles.

Tech giants are currently prioritizing efficiency. Meta and Amazon executives frequently mentioned efficiency during recent earnings calls. Microsoft's top finance executive confirmed a planned headcount decline this year. The company aims to increase its pace and agility. This move signals a broader focus on leaner operations within the tech sector.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/05/01/ai-jobs-tech-layoffs-austerity/