Texas Instruments is making a move that many are finding troubling. Hundreds of employees are reportedly being let go, and the company is circumventing the legal requirements meant to give workers a heads-up. By offering severance packages that include 60 days of pay, the company has found a way to bypass the WARN Act. This is a significant maneuver—one that might raise more questions than it answers. The WARN Act mandates that companies with over 100 employees must notify workers 60 days in advance if there are mass layoffs or plant closures. However, Texas Instruments is using severance as a way to avoid this scrutiny, leaving employees with little time to prepare for the future.
Sources reveal that these layoffs are taking place at the Lehi, Utah, facility, where workers are being let go without the usual formal notice. While the severance packages cushion the blow somewhat, the lack of proper notification is undeniably concerning. Workers might get the benefit of a severance package, but the broader issue is the way Texas Instruments is handling these layoffs—quietly and strategically. There’s a growing concern about the lack of transparency. When layoffs happen behind closed doors, with no formal public announcement, it deprives communities of the opportunity to prepare and address the economic fallout.
This all comes at a time when Texas Instruments is raking in substantial funding through the CHIPS Act, which is designed to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry. How can a company receive government funding meant to expand manufacturing while simultaneously slashing jobs? This is more than a simple contradiction—it’s a sign of the corporate world’s ongoing battle between profit maximization and public accountability. The money coming from taxpayers under the CHIPS Act was intended to spur job creation, not to fund layoffs. The optics here are damaging, to say the least. What kind of message does it send when taxpayer money is used to fuel growth while simultaneously trimming the workforce?
The broader implications of this situation should not be ignored. Companies like Texas Instruments have the legal right to handle workforce reductions in this manner. However, just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s ethical or in the best interest of the workers who helped build the company.
Sources: