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Comment by treyfitty | Hacker News Reader

Why do CEOs feel compelled to say “this is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.” Hoping a CEO can chime in here… is the decision really that hard? It seems like they are just trying to not seem like a dick, when we all know they’re just looking out for their own best interests (not saying this is wrong, but not saying this is right either). Just genuinely curious how much “fluff” that statement contains.

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For most CEOs or business owners it's definitely the hardest episode they'll face.

Mostly because of the loss of face. Layoffs means the CEO/board has screwed things up big time.

Firing people is easy. They fire screw-ups all the time, no platitudes no regret.

But this time the CEO screwed up, there are no two ways about it. Taking responsibility is painful.

Chiming in. I tend to work day and night to ensure a good outcome for our team, investors, customers etc. At the end of the day the buck stops with the CEO. Definitely the last thing you want for your team members.

It sucks. It means you failed everyone. Feels like total shit if you’re a good human.

It's not just their own interests. If they run over budget they have to shut down and everyone loses their job. So impacting only x% is a better alternative. Doing it all in one go and getting it right the first time is very important because you want to end up in a sustainable position where you can assure everyone remaining that they have made it and don't need to worry.

Most people are not _complete_ sociopaths

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