I just read an article from BusinessWeek, about some IT guys hijacking a zoom call to ask what was called "Tough Questions". While this was a large company, it was not a tech company. Which is why a good CTO should have been able to answer these questions easily.

Question: Are there going to be more layoffs?

Answer: Perhaps... but understand this. You do not produce the product that this company sells. you're job, in IT, is to SUPPORT the people that produce the product that this company sells. The software development floor is not a profit center, it is a cost center. And that is why when costs need to be cut, then here is where that happens. It would be suicidal to lay off a factory worker who produces the product we sell, in order to keep you, who support him.

Question: Will we be able to continue to work remotely?

Answer: If you're not holding a screwdriver in your hand, I don't want to see you. I need the space you take up here available to dedicate to someone who needs it to be productive. So... Go home, work from home, but expect to have to work up to the same standards that you did while here.

Question: When will our pay be raised to the level of major tech companies?

Answer: Understand this: At Alphabet, Meta, and such, the IT department makes the product that the company sells. There, Top performers get top pay, and the competition is fierce. If you want to take the big risks, and work in that pressure cooker, Go Right Ahead. I'll be glad to write your recomendations. Good Luck, and God have mercy on your soul. Here, on the other hand, the factory workers make the product that the company sells. They are who the company lives and dies with. You're just a little more important than the janitorial staff and the mail room. In fact, you guys are largely the digital mail room. Our job in IT is to make sure that the people that make what this company sells can do so optimally... We Support them... This whole department is a support role. Never lose sight of that.

Sometimes us IT types get a little too self-important. A reality check is required.