Evil Corporations, Severance, and the NYT Crossword: How Fiction and Reality Collide

If you've watched Severance on Apple TV+, you know it's more than just a show—it’s a chilling look at corporate control taken to the extreme. The series follows employees at Lumon Industries, a company that literally splits workers' memories between their professional and personal lives. It’s a fascinating (and terrifying) take on workplace culture, raising questions about corporate ethics, power, and identity.

Meanwhile, the New York Times crossword has a habit of sneaking cultural commentary into its puzzles. Clues like "severely criticizes" or references to Severance itself keep popping up, adding an extra layer of intrigue for puzzle lovers and pop culture fans alike.

Evil Corporations, Severance, and the NYT Crossword: How Fiction and Reality Collide

Lumon Industries – The Ultimate Evil Corporation

• What’s Severance About? The show follows employees at Lumon Industries who undergo a "severance" procedure, which divides their consciousness. At work, they have no memory of their personal lives. Outside of work, they have no idea what they do all day.
• Why Is Lumon Evil? The company keeps workers trapped in an endless cycle of labor, controlling their every move. There’s no work-life balance—just work and a life they can’t remember.
• Real-World Parallels: While this is sci-fi, it taps into real fears about corporate control, employee surveillance, and burnout culture.

NYT Crossword and Corporate Criticism

• How the NYT Crossword Fits In: The New York Times crossword is famous for sneaking in clever cultural references, from political digs to pop culture moments.
• Clue: “Severely Criticizes”: If you see this clue, expect an answer like condemns, denounces, or lambasts—words often used when companies or institutions are under fire.
• References to Severance: Given the show's popularity, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lumon Industries or severance as crossword answers someday.

The Bigger Picture

• Why This Matters: Fictional corporations like Lumon represent real-world concerns—companies with too much power, employees struggling for autonomy, and ethics being sacrificed for profit.
• The NYT’s Role: As one of the most influential media outlets, the New York Times both reports on and participates in cultural conversations. Its crossword, though just a puzzle, reflects these discussions in fun and unexpected ways.
• Workplace Culture in the Spotlight: Shows like Severance and discussions about “evil corporations” push us to question how we work, who we work for, and what kind of control we’re willing to accept.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re binge-watching Severance or solving the NYT crossword, one thing is clear: people love analyzing corporate power, workplace culture, and the fine line between control and freedom. Lumon Industries might be fictional, but the conversations it sparks are very real.