Some companies have you sign things after leaving.
Obviously, when you start laying people off, or do stupid shit like stack ranking, some people are going to walk out and just blab about all the dumb shit your employer does/did - and they’re heroes for doing so.
I think that Amazon and Meta (where this is a known practice) do both. I’ve not signed anything in tech that stops me talking about internal company practices or any work that might have resulted in “voluntary” dismissal, but others in these companies that do the Jack Walsh thing and fire their employees do…
What are they gonna do if you refuse to sign? Fire you?
If this guy voluntarily left, then he wasn’t getting a severance package that they could withhold (and on that note, this is a good reason to include involuntary severence in your employment contract, if you can negotiate it).
For many, it’s the severance offered that makes them sign. If you’re about to lose your job, a few months pay, and free relocation back home if your visa is due to be cancelled is likely enough to make you sign something.
I’m not condoning it, at all. I think the practice is fucking disgusting, and have seen it wreck lives, but it’s a reality in many tech companies, including Google under Sundar.
But they’re not gonna offer severence to someone who quits, right?
The wording made it sound like he quit rather than got laid off.