What was the first sign of layoff?

Two things I’ve commonly seen

1. Managerial changes. Some execs quitting without any signs.

2. Hiring freeze and team restructuring.

If your company has hired too many people in the last 2-3 years and revenue has gone up just linearly then expect layoffs.

Random call set up by the CEO

Too much focus on vanity metrics. Secretive about the revenue numbers, or revenue model.

(prev startup) Offsite events getting cancelled. That's what happened in my prev startup. Just when you see the point where the executives run away from questions. :)