Meta confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch that layoffs were implemented on Wednesday to reallocate resources within the organization
A Meta spokesperson stated in an email that today, several teams are implementing modifications to guarantee that their resources are in accordance with their long-term strategic objectives and location strategy.
“This encompasses the relocation of certain teams to alternative locations and the assignment of certain employees to new positions.” If a position is eliminated, we make a concerted effort to identify alternative opportunities for the affected employees.
According to The Verge, the reductions impacted Reality Labs, Instagram, and WhatsApp employees.
One of the employees impacted by the layoff on Wednesday is Jane Manchun Wong, a software engineer recruited by Instagram in 2023 after gaining recognition for revealing unannounced features planned for Meta applications.
Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, and the president of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, commemorated her appointment at the time.
Other former Meta employees also used social media platforms to disclose their terminations. In social media posts that TechCrunch reviewed, employees who had previously worked in design, legal operations, recruiting, and Facebook reported being terminated on Wednesday.
Meta’s spokesperson informs TechCrunch that the reorganization did not affect Threads, recruiting, or legal operations, and there were no cutbacks. Meta declined to provide an official statement regarding the number of impacted employees and the organizations in which they were affiliated.
TechCrunch is informed by a former Meta employee who worked at one of these organizations that certain employees were either offered alternative positions under new contracts or informed that they could accept severance compensation. The source indicates that several individuals accepted the severance package.
The former employee informs TechCrunch that on Wednesday, over a dozen team members were informed of the changes to their responsibilities through video calls.
According to the former Meta employee, six weeks of severance pay were provided to certain employees impacted on Wednesday. (The employee disclosed sensitive information to TechCrunch anonymously.)
Additionally, the Financial Times reported that certain employees were terminated for utilizing their $25 meal credits to purchase non-food items, such as domestic necessities, by a rumor circulating on the workplace app Blind.
Meta has reduced its workforce significantly in recent years to streamline the organization in response to the aggressive recruiting practices implemented during the pandemic.
In 2022, Meta terminated approximately 13,000 employees, or approximately 13% of its workforce.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally accepted responsibility for this action. In 2023, Meta terminated an additional 10,000 employees and eliminated 5,000 opening positions that had not yet been filled.
Correction: It was previously reported that Meta’s reorganization on Wednesday included Threads, recruiting, and legal operations. Meta contacted me to verify that these organizations were not included in the reorganization.
