Meta layoffs trigger panic as employees stuff bags with free snacks, drinks and chargers, says ex-employee

A former Meta employee has described the atmosphere inside the company ahead of its first major layoffs as “almost like doomsday”, recalling how workers filled their bags with free snacks, drinks and chargers on the eve of the job cuts.

Adel Wu, who said she witnessed several rounds of layoffs during her final year at Meta, shared a post on X detailing the anxiety among employees before one particularly significant round of cuts. Her comments come shortly before Meta is expected to eliminate 8,000 jobs on May 20.

Wu suggested that little has changed inside the company since 2021, with uncertainty and fear continuing to dominate the workplace ahead of layoffs at the company led by Mark Zuckerberg.

Meta’s first major layoffs

Meta laid off 11,000 employees in 2022, marking the first major job cuts in the company’s 18-year history. The layoffs were linked to the company’s heavy spending on its Metaverse project, which struggled to succeed.

Additional rounds of layoffs followed after 2022 amid the rise of artificial intelligence and Meta’s increased investment in automation.

In her post, Wu said there were “probably 4-5 layoffs” during her final year at the company and described the upcoming May 20 layoffs as “huuuge”.

She also said many of her friends who still work at Meta remain deeply worried about their future at the company.

“My friends still there are either just waiting hoping to get laid off or extremely anxious because the job is their lifeline,” Wu wrote.

Recalling the first large-scale layoff, Wu said employees reacted with panic the night before the announcements were made.

“I remember the very first big layoff the night before was almost like doomsday, people were stuffing their bags with free snacks and drinks and chargers,” she wrote.

Wu concluded by describing it as a “very weird time to be in big tech”.

Employees speak about anxiety and low morale

Several users responding to Wu’s post echoed similar experiences and described widespread anxiety within the technology sector.

One commenter said they had experienced every round of layoffs at Meta and claimed that while the latest round may not be worse than earlier years, there was still “a lot of anxiety and resentment” within the company.

Another user recalled waking up in the early hours to monitor their inbox for layoff notifications, describing the experience as “trauma bonding”.

Others said repeated rounds of layoffs severely damaged morale among employees.

One commenter claimed a team member was laid off while on a business trip during the first round of cuts and added that the prospect of several additional layoffs afterwards “killed off” morale within the company.