how about cutting executive pay first? That is what usually happens in Japanese companies if leadership doesn't live up to expectations.

During covid lawmakers cut their own salary by 20%. A little bit of honor in a culture when ordinary people are taking hits goes a long way, rather than lipservice and PR.

Patreon executive salary is $250k. You really think cutting that is going to make a drop in the bucket for 80 employees?

It wouldn't "make a difference" more than it would be signaling taking responsibility. I'm not necessarily for that but perhaps reducing his bonus this year is better way of sharing responsibility, if people really want or need one.

That is the equivalent of resigning first[firing yourself] before you do to that to others?

What does him resigning achieve? Everyone still gets laid off. The board hires another CEO. Maybe they're better, maybe they're worse. Maybe they save a little bit of money. Nobody who was laid off today gets their job back.

The knee-jerk "oh yeah you should quit if you feel bad!!1" reaction is ill-informed and boring, but unfortunately very predictable.

>>What does him resigning achieve?

The next CEO is more responsible with the money. If you earn high, stakes should be high, else there is no stopping from making decisions that are harmful to all the parties: investors, employees and the company itself.

Taking personal responsibility and resigning fixes lots of things.

>>oh yeah you should quit if you feel bad

He should quit for making wrong decisions, for which he had many many weeks to months to deliberate upon. And also had the choice to not continue with the bad decisions for nearly the same time if not more.