I'd rather they rip the bandaid off and not pretend they are my friend. You are firing me. You are removing me from my source of income. Stop trying to be "pleasant" because it just looks like you are enjoying it.
No smiles, no affected happiness, no weasel words about being "let go". Just say "yeah, sorry, you're fired". The more emotionless you can make it on your end, the better.
Heck don't even fire me in person. Send me an e-mail. It's a lot more... Humane. Less cruel.
I've been a Linux user for 15 years now. I run a small Portuguese language blog about open source software. I'd be ascending the hill myself.
... And the original meme, which I edited, was about Pathfinder players climbing the hill to evangelise to DnD 5 players. And was sent to the group where me and my friends play Pathfinder biweekly.
It seems most people got the joke.