The way this makes sense to me is to think about it in terms of freedom. At-will is not enforcing any agreement between the employer and the employee. The emplo

The way this makes sense to me is to think about it in terms of freedom. At-will is not enforcing any agreement between the employer and the employee. The employer should be free to spend their money the way they see fit. If the money they pay for an employee no longer make sense (change of direction, dropping a department, the employee stops producing results), they shouldn't be required to keep paying. The employer and employee are of course allowed to enter a contract if they wish, but that's on them. It's like when consumers pay for subscription services, such as TV or internet. You pay a certain amount each month until you change your mind. Don't want TV anymore? No problem. Just cancel it. Imagine if you were required to prove you had reasonable cause to cancel your TV service. Just like with employment, the option for signing a contract is on the table (very common with mobile phone service). In a way, at-will employment is the government choosing to minimize its meddling in employment agreements. It goes against my emotional intuition, but it makes perfect sense intellectually.