Meta begins latest round of layoffs; tech teams affected

In a fresh round of job cuts, Facebook parent Meta Platforms on Wednesday fired more employees. The layoffs impacted various technical teams, including those working on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Reality Labs, a Reuters report said.

The layoffs are part of a cost-cutting exercise by founder Mark Zuckerberg, announced last month, which will culminate in 10,000 positions being culled. Meta is reportedly set to fire more staff in May, as part of the exercise.

It is not clear how many roles have been affected by the move announced on Wednesday. The Washington Post, citing an internal analysis, reported that around 4,000 employees may have been impacted by the latest round of job cuts.


The development came as the company prepares to report its earnings for the first three months of 2023 next week, with Zuckerberg looking to streamline the business and make 2023 a “year of efficiency”.

The CEO said last month that in some cases it may take up to the end of the year to complete staff restructuring processes.

Mass cull

Last month, the firm announced it would fire another 10,000 employees. In November 2022, it laid off 11,000 employees, or 13% of its workforce, in the single largest round of cuts in its history.

In March, Meta became the first Big Tech company to announce a second round of mass layoffs.

The company reportedly told North American employees to work from home on Wednesday in anticipation of the layoffs.

Meanwhile, employees have raised questions about the move in the company’s internal forum. Some even took to LinkedIn to announce that they had been fired.

Employee angst

According to a Reuters report, one of the questions posted on an internal company forum read, “You’ve shattered the morale and confidence in leadership of many high performers who work with intensity. Why should we stay at Meta?”

An internal memo circulated to managers on Wednesday indicated that teams would be reorganised and the remaining employees reassigned to work under new managers.