This is such a stupid decision. Cut the free food and perks, fine. But at a time of historical uncertainty, with large number of folks suffering from the after effects of the pandemic… it makes very little sense to cut this.
The person mentioned in the article basically just got the job (July 2021) so it doesn't sound like they are ruining something deeply rooted. Maybe the person did a terrible job, coming from finance. Maybe they overhired during the pandemic and are now downsizing as things have gone back to normal. Maybe they realised that employees don't want to talk about their mental issues with their employer. Maybe they did a similar thing as Spotify and hired people with the sole purpose of cheering people up and figured it was a waste of money.
This comes to you courtesy of the lawyers, who are still on retainer.