HubSpot CTO's 28-word thanks to laid-off workers draws online ire

On Tuesday, cloud-based software provider HubSpot announced it is cutting 7% of its workforce — roughly 660 workers. The move drew fire not for the cuts themselves but for a 28-word thank-you founder and chief technology officer Dharmesh Shah posted on LinkedIn the same day.

CEO Yamini Rangan told employees in an internal memo the move is "aligning our organization with our strategy." The cuts, she wrote, were "not driven by AI-related efficiencies."

What's actually in the post?

Shah's note, in full: "My personal thanks to all of the people that HubSpot parted ways with today. You helped make HubSpot the company it is. Best wishes with the next chapter."

Reaction has been mostly negative. Several users took exception to Shah's tone, which they described as flat and understated. Comments landed within hours.

"It felt so cold and impersonal," one commenter wrote. "It read like 'don't let the door hit you on the way out' to me."

Another user added: "My mom would call [this an] 'insincere gesture of good fellowship.'"

A third replied: "Call it a layoff or firing. 'Parted ways' seems to downplay this sad moment. Thanking them for helping build the company and firing them at the same time seems to somehow miss the mark for me."

What does the wording trigger?

HubSpot is hardly alone. Experts say softening layoff language is the most common executive misstep when letting workers go. Vague wording, the experts argue, tries to make the moment more comfortable for the executive behind the note — not the workforce reading it.

Organizational and careers expert Karina Mangu-Ward told Fast Company in June that softening rarely works. "Softening the message doesn't land as kindness," Mangu-Ward wrote. "It reads as evasion, and people lose trust in everything that comes after."

Former Microsoft and Amazon HR leader Tammy Perkins made a similar case in Fast Company last year. "What damages culture [after a layoff] is indifference, silence, or meaningless lip service," Perkins wrote. "[But] when leaders respond with honesty and care, disruption can become a catalyst for renewal."

Perkins added that executives who maintain consistent communication, answer tough questions, and signal openness to change can strengthen company culture even through difficult transitions. "A stronger culture can emerge when leaders step into this moment with honesty and courage," she wrote.

What's next for HubSpot?

Rangan's Tuesday memo did not name severance terms, list affected business units, or specify which functions took the heaviest hit. Fast Company reached out to HubSpot for comment, and the company hadn't responded by publication.

Shah's post remains live. The 28-word note has eclipsed the restructuring memo in online chatter — a reminder that a founder's tone can move brand sentiment as fast as any operational update.

Going forward, HubSpot's leaders must convince both the 660 outgoing workers and the rest of the staff that the cuts weren't the cold gesture the LinkedIn thread implies. The next test lands in severance packages, retention metrics, and what Rangan says next — and whether Shah walks "parted ways" back with any acknowledgment of the workers' hurt.