Meta will conduct its first wave of layoffs planned for this year on May 20, with more cuts coming later, according to a Reuters report. The social media giant's layoffs this year will be the company's most significant since a restructuring in late 2022 and early 2023 that eliminated about 21,000 jobs. Despite being in a more comfortable financial position this time, executives envision a future of fewer management layers and greater efficiency brought about by AI-assisted workers. The upcoming cuts add to earlier large-scale layoffs that began in 2022, when the company eliminated more than 11,000 roles, marking the first major workforce reduction in Meta's history and linked to heavy spending on the metaverse project.
According to a viral post by former Meta employee Adel Wu, who witnessed several rounds of layoffs during her last year at the tech firm, the upcoming cuts are creating significant anxiety among workers. "During my last year at meta there were probably 4-5 layoffs, but this one on 5/20 is huuuge. My friends still there are either just waiting hoping to get laid off or extremely anxious because the job is their lifeline," Wu stated in an X post. She recalled that "the very first big layoff the night before was almost like doomsday, people were stuffing their bags with free snacks and drinks and chargers." Wu described the workplace environment as emotionally exhausting, especially during repeated restructuring phases, suggesting layoffs had become a recurring pattern at Meta rather than isolated incidents. The uncertainty reportedly affected morale significantly, with many workers constantly worried about future job security.
For US employees, the benefits package includes a base severance pay equivalent to 16 weeks of salary, as well as a service-based bonus of two weeks for every year of employment. Additionally, employees receive health coverage consisting of 18 months of paid benefits. The average per-job savings associated with this package is approximately ₹30 crore ($375,000). Employees have described the severance package as unexpectedly generous, calling it a "golden parachute" as the tech firm tries to soften the blow with 18 months of healthcare coverage.
A Software Engineer who graduated last year and secured five internships has been at Meta for almost a year, but is now preemptively applying to jobs due to uncertainty. According to their social media post, they have "applied to 250 entry level jobs or so now, for both big and small companies in every sector." However, they noted that "ever since adding Meta on my resume and removing my university projects, I am getting ZERO interviews." The techie, who works on PyTorch developer tooling and code in C++ and Python, expressed concerns about their specialized role being seen as "too niche or too unimportant" since it's not work on core products or money-printing areas. The latest reports reflect a broader trend across Silicon Valley, where companies continue to cut jobs while shifting investments toward artificial intelligence and automation.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed the layoffs, stating "We are streamlining teams so they are not bigger than needed." The company's approach reflects a broader trend in the tech industry as firms seek to optimize operations through AI integration and operational efficiency measures. Recent discussions on Blind, a platform for verified Meta employees, suggest that 10% layoffs won't be the end as Zuckerberg indicates AI will drive more job cuts later this year. Former employees like Wu continue to draw attention to the human side of corporate restructuring, particularly the emotional strain faced by workers during periods of instability, with one commenter describing it as "a very weird time to be in big tech."
