Meta to Let Go of 3,600 Employees: What’s the Deal?
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is shaking things up in a major way. According to an internal memo by Bloomberg, the company plans to lay off about 3,600 employees. These workers, tagged as “low performers,” will be replaced with fresh talent. You read that right out with the old and in with the new!
Meta’s head honcho, Mark Zuckerberg, made it clear that he’s raising the bar. “I’ve decided to move out low performers faster,” he said. Harsh? Maybe. But Zuck believes this is how to keep Meta brimming with the “strongest talent” and room to “bring new people in.”
As of September, Meta had a hefty 72,400 employees so that this move will impact around 5% of the workforce. It’s not just about trimming the fat; it’s about building a lean, mean innovation machine.
Performance-based cuts aren’t new. Just last week, Microsoft made a similar move, letting go of less than 1% of its workforce. Seems like tech giants are all about tightening up these days.
Meta’s changes go beyond layoffs. The company is stirring the pot in other ways, too. For starters, it recently said goodbye to its U.S. fact-checking program, which aimed to combat misinformation. Critics called it censorship, so Meta is shifting gears. Now, users can add context to posts, much like the features on X (formerly Twitter), which Elon Musk loves.
And guess what? Content moderation is getting a little looser, especially around certain edgy topics. Plus, Meta’s scaling back its diversity initiatives is turning heads.
The tea: Zuckerberg has been cozying up to conservative vibes lately. He’s had dinner dates with Donald Trump and even brought a Republican onboard as Meta’s public affairs chief. With Trump eyeing a return to the White House on January 20, Meta might be positioning itself strategically.
Meta’s mission is to revamp, refocus, and keep its edge. Whether you’re rooting for or against these moves, one thing’s for sure: big changes are happening. Meta’s making bold choices to stay in the game, from layoffs to policy tweaks.
