Meta-owned Instagram will cut or relocate London staff

Meta Platforms Inc. is planning to cut or relocate its London-based Instagram employees, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The London office became a center for growth for the social-media app when its leader, Adam Mosseri, moved there temporarily last year.

Mosseri plans to relocate to the US, along with the staffers who aren’t laid off, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the decision hasn’t been made public. The move won’t be final until the completion of a required consultation period with the UK government.


Meta declined to comment.

The Menlo Park, California-based social media company in March announced plans to eliminate 10,000 positions, part of an efficiency campaign pushed by chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg.

As part of that reduction, Meta is rolling out widespread cuts Wednesday. According to a memo the company sent on Tuesday, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Reality Labs — which houses the firm’s virtual reality efforts and Quest hardware — will be affected. A further round of cuts is set to follow in May.

Instagram’s London office was its first international presence, opening in 2013. Today the app has about 100 employees there, the person said.