Insider Comms™
Insider Comms™ is a series that shows how organizational leaders and corporate comms professionals communicate with their audiences—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Topics Covered
layoffs | reorgs | M&A | labor/unions | departure of high-profile employees | company vision | celebratory notes | addressing market/economy | leadership pontification | dealing with customers | misc.
Click the links above to jump to those sections.
Use Ctrl+F/⌘+F to search for keywords (e.g., “DEI,” “inspire,” “downturn”)
List of Companies
Activision Blizzard, Amazon (x3), Apple, BlackRock, Business Insider, Citadel, CNN, Disney, Etsy, IMAX, LinkedIn, Meta, Microsoft, The New York Times, Paramount Global, Peloton, Reddit, Redfin, Shopify, Snap (x2), Sony, Spotify, Stability AI, Target, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter, Uber, Vox, Warner Bros. Discovery, Wayfair, XBox, and YouTube.
Use Ctrl+F/⌘+F to search for memos from specific companies.
Layoffs
Startup CEOs Send Layoff Notes Too (Stability AI): When you don't have an exec comms team to draft all-employee notes, who takes the lead?
50 Ways to Say 'Layoffs' (Paramount Global): When leadership opens the thesaurus to avoid using the L-word.
Sharing News About Layoffs via Livestream (Twitch): When a CEO takes questions about layoffs and the business from employees and customers.
When You Announce Layoffs Right Before Christmas (Etsy): So cold.
'Alexa: Lay Off Hundreds of Employees' (Amazon): As bland as they come.
A Tech CEO Explains Layoffs (Snap): One of the more thoughtful notes from a CEO delivering bad news.
How to Announce Layoffs Without Saying Anything (LinkedIn): Read the memo announcing layoffs at LinkedIn.
A Tech CEO Explains a Slowdown in Hiring (Snap): How a tech CEO communicates with employees in an economic downturn.
Reorganizations (Reorgs)
Merging Departments Without Laying People Off (The New York Times): Refreshingly, an executive memo with some bad news that doesn't bury the lede.
4 comms lessons (and templates) from 2 DEI rollback memos (Amazon and Meta)
Mergers & Acquisitions
Welcoming Employees Gained Via Acquisition (XBox): A simple and positive memo on the completion of a merger.
Two All-Staff Memos on an Acquisition (Microsoft and Activision Blizzard): Example memos from tech CEOs when announcing a merger.
Reaction to a Leak About an Acquisition (Vox): When the media lets the cat out of the bag.
Addressing Labor & Union Issues
When Leadership Tries to Get Ahead of a Union Movement (Costco): An employee memo with mixed results.
Departure of High-Profile Employees
Saying Goodbye to an Executive (IMAX): A lukewarm goodbye note needs some heat.
When the CCO(!) Steps Down (Warner Bros. Discovery): When the CCO steps down, they don't ghostwrite their goodbye.
A CEO Says Goodbye (YouTube): Reflective but not too self-congratulatory, with healthy doses of teamwork and “the best is yet to come.”
Two Memos on the Chief Security Officer Stepping Down (TikTok): Examples of how a social media company explains a complicated situation.
Jack Dorsey's Email Announcing He's Stepping Down as CEO (Twitter)
Company Vision
Outlining a Vision for the Company (CNN): Seven ways to improve a CEO's novella.
Celebratory Notes
CEO Congratulates Employees for Trouncing the Competition (Citadel): A punchy example of how to celebrate winning.
A CEO Celebrates a Covid Win (Sony Pictures): Sony's CEO celebrates a pandemic success.
Managing Economic Headwinds & Market Downturns
A Tech CEO Explains a Slowdown in Hiring (Snap): How a tech CEO communicates with employees in an economic downturn.
A Tech CEO Tells Employees to Do More With Less (Uber): Example memo to employees on how to manage an economic downturn.
Leadership Notes (and Pontificating)
When the CEO Asks Employees to Blur Work and Life (Wayfair): How not to inspire employees.
When Your Business Is Failing and You Blame Everyone Else (Business Insider): A muddled message that is simultaneously apologetic and defiant.
A New CEO's Memo to All Employees (Peloton): Example of how a new CEO introduces himself to employees.
Tobi Lütke's Email to Managers Outlining Stance on Leadership (Shopify): An example of a CEO trying to re-establish a cultural norm
Dealing With Customers, Consumers, and Audiences
How to Deal With a Boycott (Reddit): What would you say to employees if suddenly your company faced backlash from consumers?
When Your Customers Don't Share Your Politics (Target): Target considers the opinions of employees and customers when making a controversial decision on Pride month.
CEO Explains Why the Company Was Slow to Act Publicly on a Political Issue (Disney): On why the company acted behind the scenes instead of publicly on an LGTBQ+ issue.
A CEO Addresses Controversy About Its Service (Spotify): A memo to all employees about a controversial issue around its product and services.
Executive Memo About a Controversial Feature (Apple): Example of how a senior leader responds internally to a controversial consumer-facing project.
Miscellaneous
Keeping Alumni in the Loop (BlackRock): BlackRock is doing mixternal comms.
Return to Office Memos (Amazon and Redfin): Highlighting the best of two different styles in getting employees back to the office.