Mark Zuckerberg Announces 5% Reduction in Workforce to Raise Benchmarks
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, now braces for mass layoffs, targeting more than 3,000 employees deemed “lowest performers.” This represents 5% of Meta’s global workforce, part of the strategy by CEO Mark Zuckerberg to “raise the bar on performance” while tightening operations.
Details of the Layoff Plan
The layoffs would begin Monday, February 10, 2025, with notifications going out starting at 5 a.m. local time, in virtually all countries including the United States.
Employees based in Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands will not face immediate cuts due to local labor laws, but will be notified of their status between February 11 and February 18.
When management informs of layoffs, the affected employees will lose access to company online systems within an hour and will find out about their severance packages through work and personal email.
Meta has guaranteed vesting of stock and applicable bonuses to all affected employees as of February 15.
Rationale Behind the Decision
In a memo to employees, Zuckerberg described the need to act quickly on performance issues: “I think what I’ve decided to do is raise the performance management bar and move low-performing people out more quickly.”
Historically, Meta had managed those employees whose performances have dipped over the period of a year, and thus was the device to act fast. The company intends to backfill a few of those roles, especially in high-need areas like machine learning and engineering, aligning with Meta’s strategic priorities for 2025.
What Employees Are Saying and Internal Dynamics
The announcement has drawn varied responses from Meta employees. Some have raised concerns over whether the performance evaluation process is sufficiently transparent and fair; for these employees, the fear of bias and harm to team morale will not go away.
National discussions on internal forums have shown that there is anxiety over what constitutes “low performance,” and this could affect diversity within the company.
Meta’s Vice President of Human Resources Janelle Gale has since assured employees that the process of performance appraisal holds for itself a standard of objectivity, and all discriminatory practices would not be tolerated.
Meta’s Response to Leaks of Information
At the same time, Meta is dealing with leaks of internal information. Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth warned employees about the consequences of leaking internal information, saying that they create incorrect incentives and ordinarily have bad outcomes.
He stated that the company had made progress in identifying leakers and was committed to maintaining internal confidentiality.
Context in the Tech Industry
Meta’s move aligns with a growing trend in the tech sector when most players are downscaling. Layoffs have been announced in various tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Salesforce in recent months, citing reasons ranging from uncertain economic prospects to strategic reorientations.
Yet while such headwinds surround the larger industry, Meta reported robust earnings for the final quarter, ending 2022 with revenues of $48.39 billion, exceeding market expectations. Alongside these moves, Meta continues to invest heavily in artificial intelligence and other next-gen technologies in preparation for future growth.
While Meta carries out these layoffs based on performance, limit general operational inefficiencies and ensure a top-performing unit, focus on the building of critical technologies, and ensure that the institution is well set up to address upcoming projects in AI, new computing platforms, and the future of social media.
Employees and industry watchers will certainly be keeping a close eye on how these changes come into play at Meta as these months go by.
