Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta to Cut Thousands of Jobs Again, Says Report

Summary:

• Meta plans mass layoffs across various companies such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Reality Labs
• Around 4,000 jobs are reportedly at risk, say unnamed sources
• Part of Zuckerberg’s 2023 efficiency plan to trim spending

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is preparing for another mass round of layoffs, sources working at the company told Vox.

The internal memo, which was posted on a Meta employee message board on Tuesday evening, informed employees that the layoffs would begin on Wednesday and would affect a wide range of technical teams including those working on Facebook, Instagram, Reality Labs, and WhatsApp.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed the memo but declined to comment further. According to one source, the cuts could result in the loss of around 4,000 jobs.

In the memo, Lori Goler, Meta’s head of people, acknowledged the difficulty of this period, saying, “This will be a difficult time as we say goodbye to friends and colleagues who have contributed so much to Meta.”

Employees in North America will be notified via email on Wednesday morning, while timelines for other countries will vary, with some not being affected. Meta has requested that employees in North America work from home on Wednesday to give them space to process the news.

These layoffs follow Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement in March that 10,000 more jobs would be cut in the coming months, after the company had already cut 11,000 in November.

Zuckerberg previously stated that the April cuts would impact tech departments, while a planned round of cuts in May would affect the business side of the company. At the end of last year, Meta had approximately 86,000 employees.

Sources, who spoke to Vox on the condition of anonymity, expressed concern about the professional repercussions of discussing these layoffs. Meta’s ongoing layoffs are part of Zuckerberg’s plan for a “year of efficiency” in 2023.

As major tech companies like Meta undergo significant cutbacks and belt-tightening measures, the once free-spending work culture in Silicon Valley is changing drastically.

Employee morale has taken a hit at Meta amidst the ongoing layoffs. Several sources described working in a state of limbo, making it difficult to get work done. One anonymous Meta employee stated, “I think people are getting tired of all this and are just ignoring this now. It’s too stressful to keep worrying when you can’t do anything about it.”

With the economy still yet to show signs of recovery, big tech companies continue to cut staff in an effort to trim expenses. It seems like the job cuts at Meta are far from over and it’s unclear how many employees in Canada will be impacted.