There have been layoffs, like ClassPass fired 50% of staff, but there's still work too. The author is a little strange, quitting a job to go on six week retreat instead of taking a leave of absence, but if he is acting that way, he clearly wanted to switch to a new job anyway, had plenty of money in reserve, and likely won't have trouble finding one. RC doesn't seem to have any value beyond them acting as a recruiter for you at the end, but recruiters are free and happy to help you find jobs without that anyway.