Read the leaked email Meta sent to the employees it just fired
Meta, which operates social media platforms Instagram and Facebook, raised eyebrows earlier this year when it warned employees in a memo that it planned to make vital cuts to its workforce this year.
In a memo sent to employees in January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company would lay off about 3,600 people, about 5% of its workforce, as it doubles down on investing in artificial intelligence, developing its smart glasses and “the future of social media.”
Stating that the cuts will be based on performance, the official stated that the company will have a “busy year”.
“I decided to raise the bar on performance management and eliminate underperformers more quickly,” Zuckerberg said in his memo. “We typically eliminate people who don’t meet expectations for a year, but now we’ll make broader cuts based on performance during this cycle.”
Over the past few months, Meta’s layoff plan has been revealed in dramatic fashion:
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The first round of Meta’s layoffs began on February 10 and affected approximately 4,000 employees in the US, Europe and Asia.
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Meta later faced backlash from laid-off employees who claimed they were not underperforming at the company because they received “Exceeds or Exceeds Expectations” ratings in their 2024 mid-year reviews.
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In April, Meta laid off more than 100 employees at its Reality Labs division; This has affected workers developing virtual reality, headsets and other wearable technologies.
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Meta in June He reportedly sent a note to his managers In mid-year performance reviews that began June 16, we instructed employees in large teams to give a 15% to 20% performance rating of “below expectations” to help them “make exit decisions.”
Meta recently conducted a new round of layoffs just before the holidays, affecting 600 employees at its Meta Super Intelligence Labs division, which is responsible for the development of artificial intelligence technology.
The move comes after Meta completed a deal. investment of almost 15 billion dollars At Scale AI in June, it led to Scale CEO Alexandr Wang becoming Meta’s chief AI officer.
In a memo to employees about the cuts at the Meta Super Intelligence Labs division, Wang said having fewer workers in the department would make decision-making easier. last report From Business Insider.
Related: Meta’s latest layoffs took an unexpected turn
“By reducing the size of our team, less conversation will be needed to make decisions, and each person will carry more load and have more scope and influence,” Wang wrote.
He also said the company “supports the majority of those affected in finding new roles within the company.”
