The real problem in my mind is that it's difficult for employees to judge whether a company is making disciplined hires in the first place. The ballpark method

The real problem in my mind is that it's difficult for employees to judge whether a company is making disciplined hires in the first place. The ballpark method I've been using has been to ask for the ARR and divide that number by the employee count. I don't know that this is a real business indicator, but it seems to me that the closer that number is to a workable salary, the better. Maybe all tech startups are all using VC funds, but they're not all created equal in terms of management quality. There are a handful of startups that boast never holding a formal layoff.