So.. when you implemented stack ranking and a cutthroat Survivor-island-style “how can you make sure the other guy gets the axe and not me” culture, morale took a nosedive and people started bailing on you? Interesting.
The people that were fired had some really bad performance, and the team itself agreed on the metrics beforehand. Also, it took about a year after they were fired for the problems (other than their slowness) to start.