Meta has announced plans to lay off around 5% of its workforce, focusing on employees deemed low performers. This decision is part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy to streamline operations and enhance overall performance following a challenging year. In an internal memo, Zuckerberg emphasized the need for a more rigorous performance management process, stating, “I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster.”
These layoffs are part of a broader effort to achieve “non-regrettable attrition” of about 10% in this class of employees by the end of the current performance cycle. Those laid off will be given generous severance packages.
This is part of a broader restructuring effort internally referred to as the “Year of Efficiency.” Meta has been working to cut costs, optimize teams, and boost profitability, laying off thousands of workers in the past year.
Yet these layoffs have also come with very controversial policy changes, especially around content moderation: Meta relaxed rules on posts targeting immigrants and transgender individuals, raising concerns about how such moves may ultimately contribute to harming vulnerable communities. It also axed its third-party fact-checking program in the US amid fears over misinformation.
Meanwhile, Meta scaled back diversity initiatives by reducing internal training programs and hires of employees aimed at increasing the company’s workforce representation. These decisions have provoked backlash from workers and critics who believe the company is backing away from its pledge of inclusion.
As Meta navigates these changes, employee morale will likely take a hit. Many employees are frustrated with shifting priorities that seem misaligned with the company’s original mission. The balance between ambitious goals and workforce expectations will be hard to strike as Meta goes ahead in this era of transformation.
