The last time I saw this happen regularly was in Spring 2002. Tech had a big wave of layoffs after 9/11, and a lot of college hires got their offers and then had them rescinded before starting. Some of them even got their sign on bonuses.

But the best story was the guy who got both his sign on bonus and full severance, and never showed up for a day of work.

Between the bonus and severance, he ended up with almost a full year's salary, all up front. He decided to fly to the southern hemisphere to extend the ski season through August.