[dexzod]

I think there are a number of advantages of having extra staff if a company can afford it. 1. Talent is pulled away from competition that can threaten Google's dominance. 2. Talent is prevented from creating their own startups that can threaten Google's dominance. 3. Engineers are available to handle extra work that suddenly shows up leaving the others to keep focusing on "real work". 4. Engineers are available to do work that is not "real". Meaning work that nobody wants to do but still has to be done. 5. Hiring more people shows that the company is growing causing the stock value to go up. 6. Firing people can also cause the stock price to go up because it shows company is doing something to cut costs.

[snapplebobapple]

point 1 and 2 is or should be illegal due to antitrust concerns. It's literal labor market power abuse.