This is a grim way to live. Yes, there are companies that are extreme in their mercurial attitudes towards employees. But so are there people like that. Do yo

This is a grim way to live. Yes, there are companies that are extreme in their mercurial attitudes towards employees. But so are there people like that. Do you similarly say, I don't do anything above and beyond for other people because that one time some boy/girl/friend left me because I had a bad day? No, you find the people who value you. And because there needs to be balance, you show that you value them by sometimes going above and beyond. And besides that, you should be tying everything you do for a company to some self-oriented goal. Like these folks laid off from Pixar, do you think they are now at a net negative in life for having been laid off? Their lives have been enriched through skills, relationships, income, savings, experiences, etc. Does it suck to be laid off? Definitely. But if you come away from a 20 year career at a company feeling empty and used then I'd say that's more on you than on the employer. If you think to yourself, "I could have given so much more time to my family but the company forced me to work." No, you did that to yourself. You work for an abusive employer? Plan your escape.