> US laid off employees also get 3-6 months of full pay and benefits.

Some employers may decide to give a few months of pay and benefits to laid off employees (although 6 months would be unusually large) but it is definitely not required and is not always done. Mass layoffs of 100+ people need to be announced 60 days ahead (but without naming who will be laid off) but there are no requirements for any kind of severance.

There's no legal requirement, but literally every company that is not bankrupt does it because otherwise they will face huge numbers of wrongful termination suits.

That's not true in every sector.

After college I worked for a large regional manufacturer. They laid off about 10% of their employees, I got nothing.

Severance pay is a white collar benefit.

> I imagine it's no different in France.

He literally just told you it’s different in France?

He said that with incorrect information about how layoffs in America work.

No I didn't. I know how layoffs works in America because I've been laid off in America.

You know how it worked for you. What you described is not a legal requirement and many other people have had different experiences.

I think we’re all aware of how layoffs in the US work because there’s so godawfully many of them (that get publicised on HN). It’s very clear to me that 3-6 months of severance is very much not the norm. Being walked out immediately by security very much is.

Those two things are not mutually exclusive. Usually both happen. You usually get 3+ months of severance on your "don't sue us or badmouth us" paperwork and then security escorts you out.