If it was a limited number of employees doing this to smaller creators, it's probably because the perception is it'd just be brushed under the rug.
The checkmark had the most financial benefit for independent creators (artists, journos, etc), because it demonstrated you had reached on the platform. For example, I know someone through Facebook who writes for a number of smaller lib outlets.
When she was a full time writer for
the Inquisitr she had a checkmark because she was an employee. I remember her posting when she got laid off (2020ish IIRC) and subsequently lost the check that she had much more difficulty getting work at other outlets.
I know it's anecdotal, but I've seen this pop up for a number of other small creators as well.
4 months of severance isn't a bad deal at all. I wonder how many of them hop over to Twitter since Elon is trying to get staff back?