Layoff Season 2 reveals just how big Lumon Industries is

“Severance” Season 2 spoilers follow.

The mysteries of Lumon Industries continue “Lay-off” season 2and Episode 1 has some interesting clues about the true scale of the Shadow Company. The season premiere takes place entirely in the office. That said, we'll still have to wait for some answers about what's going on outside of Lumon, but new questions are already emerging.

In the more than five months since the end of Season 1, the company has seen some changes, and the innies' quality of life is getting a lot of attention. When Mark (Adam Scott) returns to the office, his former Macrodata Refinement (MDR) team has been replaced by three new faces, all brought in from other Lumon branches. This gives an idea of ​​the reach of the company as well as the difference between branches. Employees compare notes on their old branches' respective Perpetuity Wings, showing how much better funded certain areas of Lumon are. One of the employees, Dario R. (Stefano Carannante), also seems to have been to Italy before, given his native language.

Later in the episode, after the original MDR team returns, Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) ushers them into a newly renovated break room. He shows them an animated video detailing the events of Season 1 and the subsequent reforms. One part of the video states that Lumon operates in 206 countries, making it much bigger than viewers could imagine.

If Lumon operates in 206 countries, this raises other questions. Currently, the United Nations recognizes only 195 countries. However, in other lists, this number increases slightly, based on which areas are recognized as sovereign states. For example, the Olympics recognize exactly 206 different committees from around the world, including countries not recognized by the UN, such as Kosovo and Taiwan.

In other words, Lumon either accepts this broader view of independent states and operates in all possible states on Earth, or Severance's immediate future has seen political upheavals and redrawing of boundary lines. In any case, there is much to be interested in. In the same training video, it is repeated that Lumon was founded in 1870. So, a century and a half away from global expansion, we still don't know what Lumon actually does. The show says it's a biotech company, which is clear in part from the firing procedure itself and the hints of unnaturally long lives seen in the Eagan family.

The exact phrase for the 206 countries is “from which Lumon operates”. That doesn't necessarily mean there are branches in every country, but it sure sounds like it. The building where the show takes place is called Sector 501. However, this does not always make sense. What business would need physical locations in hundreds of countries so that people can sit in an office at a computer? The office in the show is hardly full of employees, so it doesn't seem like a labor issue.

Knowing how big Lumon is internationally, it makes a lot more sense why protests against the layoff have largely been unsuccessful. In Season 1, we see that there is a widespread movement to legally ban layoffs. While a domestic company may certainly have the power to stall legislation through extended lobbying, Lumon's status as a global biotech force would give it infinitely more influence not only over the US government, but over governments around the world.

Until we know more about what Lumon is actually doing, it's hard to guess what exactly the investment of the world's rich and powerful might be worth. But given that the company is effectively creating slave labor in every country on Earth, there's plenty of room to imagine why the people in charge might want to let Lumon continue.

The bigger question is how much of the company's cult-like religious teachings surrounding its founder, Cyrus Eagan, are shown to the outside world. While multinational corporations can amass enormous power and influence under global capitalism, Lumon's entire culture is downright weird, in a way that you'd think would make more people wary. We'll have to wait a little longer before all the pieces (hopefully) start coming together. That's right shows like Severance to work

Another clue to Lumon's size is that Mark W. says he was transferred to the Kyra branch after his branch closed. It could simply be a matter of poor productivity—he mentions to Mark S. that his MDR team has never hit a quota—but it could also be a hint that the company isn't doing so well after the recent onslaught of bad press. .

Although the legislation prohibiting the firing procedure has apparently not been implemented, Mr. Milczyk makes it clear that the escape of the MDR crew in Season 1 made a lot of news. That might have been enough to prompt some closures and consolidations, especially considering that the different companies that Lumon operates in would have different rules.

If Lumon is hurt, there can be a lot more pressure on heroes like Milczyk to lock things down. Hopefully, more secrets about what Lumon is really up to will soon be revealed.