If you want to stay off the spreadsheet when Finance says “cut 10 %,” you need to become Un-Layoff-Able—the person whose departure would punch an immediate hole in revenue, innovation, or customer trust.
Gladwell again uses history to reinforce his argument that with the proper planning and doing something different (something that your opposing team (i.e., competition) isn't expecting) even though you are the underdog — you will succeed.