From the context I think maybe the company was considering the pay cut and sought legal advice from the quoted lawyer. They probably weren’t public about their considerations and this attorney was just offering up an anecdote about an unnamed client as an example of the type of employment law-related questions he’s been asked during the pandemic.

> anecdote about an unnamed client

then how do we know this was wayfair. really confusing.

It almost certainly wasn't Wayfair. FTA:

> In addition to working parents seeking legal counsel, employers have been trying to figure out their legal obligation to employees with school-age children during the pandemic. One employer was reportedly considering cutting caregivers’ salaries by 20 percent to compensate for an anticipated drop in productivity, according to a Boston employment lawyer.