Saying “I love you” at the wrong time can be damaging, or at the very least awkward—conjuring up memories of calling your teacher Mom. And there’s no worse time to blurt feelings for someone than when you’re telling them they’re out of a job, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky learned.
“I have a deep feeling of love for all of you,” he wrote in 2020 to laid-off workers. Responding to travel restrictions, the vacation rental company let go of 1,900 employees, almost a quarter of its workforce.
