And let’s be honest: whatever starts in the tech world will soon reach more traditional corporations, and then small and medium-sized enterprises. There are several explanations for this trend — and most of them hold some truth.

Some argue that in a remote or hybrid work environment, digital communication is not only realistic but also humane. Why force someone to travel to headquarters for bad news, only to face a lonely trip home?

Others point to the scale of the issue: in mass layoffs, there simply aren’t enough trained HR professionals available to deliver news in person. Letting go of 10,000 people face-to-face is logistically impossible, even with team leaders helping. And shutting down entire departments only makes it harder. The time and resources saved could be channelled into better severance packages.

Another factor is speed. In the age of Messenger, Viber groups, Slack channels, and LinkedIn posts, news travels instantly. The only way to stay ahead is to tell everyone directly and simultaneously.