Meta to lay off 3,600 low performers, focuses on AI and innovation

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, plans to lay off around 3,600 employees who are identified as low performers, according to an internal memo reported by Bloomberg. CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the decision as a step to "raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster" as the company forges ahead in building out AI-powered services and immersive devices.

The layoffs will impact approximately 5% of Meta's workforce, which numbered 72,400 as of September. Employees in the United States are expected to receive notifications about their status by February 10, with international notifications to follow, AFP reported.

“This is going to be an intense year, and I want to make sure we have the best people on our team,” Zuckerberg wrote.


"We typically manage out people who aren't meeting expectations over the course of a year," Zuckerberg stated, "but now we're going to do more extensive performance-based cuts during this cycle." He mentioned that some underperforming employees from the previous cycle might be retained if there is confidence in their potential contributions. Those affected by the layoffs will receive "generous severance," he added.

The company intends to replace the outgoing employees with new hires later this year.