I'm currently working at Baldwin Insurance Group, and things have been feeling increasingly unstable since we were acquired by Dell and Sequence AI. The acquisition is set to finalize in Q1, and the company is transitioning to private ownership. Over the past year, we've experienced significant attrition, and there's been a hiring freeze that shows no signs of lifting. The workload has become overwhelming, leading to a massive backlog of tasks. Recently, the learning and development team started auditing everyone's work, which has added to the pressure. While I had been receiving positive feedback from my manager for months, I've noticed a shift in tone during our recent one-on-ones, where I've started to get more constructive criticism regarding my process and attitude. Given the heavy workload, it's been tough to keep up with best practices, and I feel like we're just operating as a glorified call center at this point. My manager mentioned that upper management wanted to put me on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), but he advocated against it, instead placing me on a 'pre PIP.' However, I can't shake the feeling that a formal PIP is inevitable. I'm starting to wonder if they're preparing for layoffs in Q1 or if they're just trying to push people out. The overall vibe is concerning, especially since I've heard negative things about Dell's corporate culture. I'm contemplating my next steps and whether I should start looking for a new job.