No, the correct response is to tell them the truth about the layoffs. Saying "I can't tell you" is basically saying "Yeah, go for it." This advice is trash and typical corporate managerial bullshit.
Sir, you can not imagine how much I am grateful to you. I was striking my head against the wall for the last several years to get myself publish as an oped writer. You have given me a way out. May God bless you. Amen
Years and years of studying and research to explain a topic based on nothing other than common sense. Why is ethics even a part of the syllabus when it is something that everyone can figure out/decide on their own? This is why Harvard professors are shams.