Meta is laying off thousands of employees as it prioritizes investments in artificial intelligence and aims to become leaner. The company, which has been expanding rapidly since the pandemic, will eliminate about 5% of its workforce, roughly equivalent to 4,000 jobs.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a “year of efficiency” in 2023, aiming to reduce costs and make the company more competitive. This strategy is part of a broader trend among Big Tech companies to cut back on non-essential staff as they focus on emerging technologies like AI.
While some employees are concerned about the impact on their jobs, others are worried that the company’s efforts to streamline operations will erode morale. Meta has offered severance packages to affected workers in the US, including 16 weeks of pay and additional time off for years of service.
The job cuts will target low-performing employees, with managers required to identify those who received “met some” or “did not meet” ratings in their performance reviews. The company aims to reduce non-regrettable attrition by 10% through a combination of these cuts and previous departures.
As Meta continues to invest heavily in AI, the company is also reorganizing its businesses and divisions. This includes merging Facebook and Messenger teams under Facebook’s chief and integrating Reality Labs with the main business. The reality labs division has lost nearly $60 billion since 2020 but has become a “positive driver for Meta’s overall brand” according to one of its leaders.
The impact on employees will be felt globally, with notifications staggered across time zones. Employees in European countries will follow local performance management processes due to regulatory requirements, while those in other regions will receive severance packages and lose access to company systems.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-job-cuts-everything-we-know-2025-2