Meta lays off employees across multiple teams
Multiple teams at Meta were hit by layoffs on Wednesday, the company confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch
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Multiple teams at Meta were hit by layoffs on Wednesday, the company confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch
Meta Conducts Widespread Layoffs Across Multiple Teams, Reallocation of Resources Underway
In a statement to TechCrunch, Meta confirmed that the company has undergone a significant restructuring, resulting in layoffs across multiple teams. The affected teams include Reality Labs, Instagram, and WhatsApp, with employees working on these teams being notified of the changes via video calls. The goal of this realignment is to reallocate resources to better align with Meta's long-term strategic goals and location strategy.
One of the employees affected by the layoffs is Jane Manchun Wong, a software engineer who was hired to join the Threads team in 2023. Wong gained recognition for revealing unannounced features coming to Meta apps, and her appointment was celebrated by Meta's CTO and the head of Instagram. Other former Meta employees also took to social media to announce their layoffs, with some having previously worked on Facebook, recruiting, legal operations, and design.
However, a Meta spokesperson clarified that Threads, recruiting, and legal operations were not impacted by the reorganization and that there were no layoffs in these areas. The company declined to comment on the record about the number of employees affected and the organizations they were part of.
Former Meta employees who were laid off were offered different positions under new contracts or told they could take a severance package instead. Several employees chose to take the severance package, according to a source. The source, who spoke to TechCrunch on the condition of anonymity, revealed that more than a dozen people on their team were notified that their roles were affected via video calls on Wednesday. Some employees affected received six weeks of severance pay.
This latest round of layoffs is not unprecedented for Meta. In recent years, the company has laid off a significant portion of its workforce to rightsize the company following aggressive pandemic hiring. In 2022, Meta laid off roughly 13% of its workforce, or 11,000 employees, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally taking responsibility. In 2023, Meta laid off another 10,000 employees and withdrew 5,000 open roles it had yet to fill.
The layoffs are a sign of the company's ongoing efforts to adapt to changing market conditions and prioritize its resources. As Meta continues to navigate the challenges of the tech industry, it is likely that the company will continue to make adjustments to its workforce and operations to ensure its long-term success.
The layoffs are also a testament to the company's commitment to realigning its resources to better serve its users and stakeholders. By streamlining its operations and focusing on its core strengths, Meta aims to emerge stronger and more resilient in the face of an increasingly competitive and rapidly evolving tech landscape.
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