Meta Platforms to cut roughly 5 per cent of staff, targeting lowest performers
As of September, Meta employed about 72,000 people, so a 5 per cent reduction could affect roughly 3,600 jobs
Meta Platforms is cutting roughly 5 per cent of its staff through performance-based terminations and plans to hire new people to fill their roles this year, according to an internal memo sent to all employees.
As of September, Meta employed about 72,000 people, so a 5 per cent reduction could affect roughly 3,600 jobs. “I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster,” Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said in the note posted to an internal message board and reviewed by Bloomberg News.
“We typically manage out people who aren’t meeting expectations over the course of a year,” he said, “but now we’re going to do more extensive performance-based cuts during this cycle.” Meta’s performance cycle is expected to wrap up in February, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing internal company procedures.
Affected workers in the US are expected to be notified on February 10, while those based in other countries will be informed at a later date, according to the memo. The terminations will only include staff who have been at the company long enough to be eligible for a performance review. Zuckerberg told employees that the firm would “provide generous severance” in line with past cuts.
Zuckerberg had declared 2023 the company’s “year of efficiency” and announced plans then to eliminate 10,000 positions. Now, he is taken on a different tone. In a note to managers, he said that the performance-based cuts are aimed at ensuring the company has the “strongest talent” and is able to “bring new people in”.
Altogether, Meta expects its headcount to be down 10 per cent by the end of the current performance cycle. That total includes an additional 5 per cent reduction from attrition last year, according to the message to managers.
The Menlo Park, California-based company that includes Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, among other businesses, will make headcount decisions for each organisation based on their respective number of reductions last year.
