He should have realized that he lacked the knowledge and experience to tell his boss to fuck off because on day #2 on the job you simply can not make this decision in a way that won't kill the company.
This article is proof positive of that, it misses a whole slew of important considerations and will likely result in a mass exodus of the people that keep the company running within the next couple of months.
I've had to lay off people before, this is not how it is done.
well i have no insider knowledge of any kind, i just looked left and right beyond the blog post instead of making assumptions.
This company is dysfunctional. They have a CTO that doesn't report to the CEO but where the CEO will cross their lines of command to give direct orders to the CTO anyway, they treat their employees like they treat their docker images (like cattle, instead of like pets), they promote people internally and make their first marching orders to take the axe to the org chart, specifically the team from which they got promoted out of.
This won't end well.
Just read this thread and see how many people are wrong-footed by the article.
Honestly, i think your reaction to having an assumption collapse is rather terrible
The computer in this story was nothing but a human's pencil and paper.
CTO: I can't do that on my 2nd day.
CEO: I thought your interests align with the company. It is your job to align everyone under you to our direction.
CTO: Yes, of course. Right away.
If it's the best reply they can come up with, they're not competent enough for the position.
It's the CEO's job to be able to weigh different kinds of risks and make a decision. So bubbling up your concerns is the correct answer.
Intra-team relationships are super important, as are the degrees to which the team members have arrived at the company, how long they have known each other, whether they knew each other prior to their arrival and so on. Before you know it you have a mass walk-out on your hands with those that have options leaving first.
The best way to deal with this is to do it very gradually and taking great care to not inadvertently wreck the core structure of the tech department.
You can spin it however you want, come up with some great arguments, but if the CEO decided to fire people, I don't think he takes that decision lightly so when he/she presents that decision you can count that it really is the last option he has.
It all comes down to trust. Trust your CEO that he has no other choice, maybe explore alternatives. But if he is a really good CEO, even if you fight it and argue for it, you'll wind up at the same conclusion he did. In fact, 9/10 you'll wind up at the same conclusion he did. Remember, it's his job to convince and lead people so he's probably better than you at that.
It's absolutely fine to face à situation that is new and that you feel you lack knowledge and experience on. But as a leader and the guy in charge you should not refuse to deal with it, you need to find a way and people to advise you. Don't think that CEOs, Generals, Heads of States, etc know everything, no they know how to seek information and advice but the final decision and responsibility is on them.
One the contrary, it is perfectly fine to ask for enough time to be able to accurately assess the situation.
The complete lack of empathy on display here is proof positive for me that this person does not have what it takes to be a successful manager.
I've just taken my company through a 50% drop in revenues and we've survived, stronger than ever, not a single person got laid off and all our bills are paid. That didn't happen because I treat my co-workers, partners and employees as replaceable cogs and if I would give my second in command the order to get rid of 50% of our workforce I would expect some serious pushback on that. Not that I would ever do that.
If you don't agree with a course of action then by all means do make your point in a constructive way.
But once the decision is made then you cannot shun your responsibility and refuse to implement it. Either "disagree and commit" to the best of you ability or quit.