Are smaller tech companies also commonly doing larger severances? I've only been laid off once and its when the company was basically out of money, but my understanding was always that it was only FAANG and similar that considered larger severance packages.

They are for CEOs and have been for decades. We call them "golden parachutes", and a lot of people hate them.

I assumed we weren't talking about CEOs though. Can't say I've ever heard of a CEO being impacted by layoffs.

CEOs get fired once in a while. It is different but the same.

Not as part of a layoff, though yes they can get fired. If they play their cards right apparently they can also be rehired days later and install a board that better suits them.