On January 14, Meta announced that it would be reducing its workforce by 5% this year, which amounts to approximately 3,600 employees. The layoffs will target employees with the “lowest performance.” This marks the third round of layoffs for the company since November 2022.
A spokesperson for Meta stated that the company plans to hire new employees later this year to fill the positions affected by the layoffs.
The company’s spokesperson also mentioned that CEO Mark Zuckerberg warned employees that there would be more layoffs this year to “raise the standards of performance management.”
Zuckerberg mentioned in a memo to company employees that these performance-based layoffs are aimed at ensuring that the company has the “strongest talent” and can “bring in new talent.”
The memo indicated that employees affected by the layoffs within the United States are expected to receive notifications on February 10, while employees in other countries will be notified later.
This is the third round of layoffs for the company in recent years. Starting from November 2022, Meta underwent several restructurings, leading to the elimination of around 11,000 positions.
In 2023, Zuckerberg referred to it as the “Year of Efficiency” as Meta announced cutting approximately 10,000 positions.
As of September 30, 2024, the social media giant, which owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, had a total workforce of over 72,000 employees. During the peak period in 2022, the total number of employees reached 86,000.
Many tech companies, including Cisco and IBM, have been redirecting investments towards artificial intelligence technology. Meta has also invested billions of dollars in AI-related infrastructure, with the expectation that its spending will increase this year.
The latest round of layoffs is the most recent move in a series of changes announced by Meta in the past few weeks.
Last week, Meta canceled its fact-checking project in the United States and eased restrictions on discussions related to immigration and gender identity, among other controversial topics, in response to conservative opposition.
(Report reference: Reuters)
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