Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's president, stated publicly in 2013 that while layoffs might boost short-term profits, employees living with job insecurity cannot produce the same quality creative work. This quote has resurfaced in 2026 as the gaming industry has faced sustained mass layoffs — a timing that gives Iwata's decade-old analysis particular relevance to current debates about whether cost-cutting measures actually harm long-term innovation and product quality.