Meta has laid off employees on WhatsApp, Instagram and other platforms
Meta has recently cut jobs across various teams. According to media reports, these cuts appear to be linked to restructuring within particular teams, as opposed to large-scale company-wide layoffs.
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Recently, Meta announced layoffs across the Meta-verse, including teams working for Instagram, WhatsApp, and Reality Labs. According to the report, these layoffs were done to reallocate resources within the company. A report published by TechCrunch said that these layoffs have affected employees in teams like Threads, Recruiting, Legal Operations, and Design. As The Verge reports, Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold explained that the company is reallocating resources in line with its long-term objectives, including reorganizing teams and moving employees into new roles. He emphasized that when positions are eliminated, the company makes significant efforts to find alternative opportunities for affected employees.
“Today, some teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources align with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy,” company spokesperson Dave Arnold said in a statement shared with The Verge. “This includes moving some teams to different locations and moving some employees into different roles. In situations where a role is eliminated, we work hard to find other opportunities for affected employees.
Although the number of employees laid off this time is still unknown, some have posted their reactions online. These include Jane Manchun Wong, who reported in threads that her role has been affected.
TechCrunch also spoke to one of the former employees whose job was at risk during this time. He said that more than a dozen team members were removed from their jobs through video call on Wednesday. He also said that some of those affected received six weeks of severance pay.
In recent years, Meta has significantly reduced its workforce to accommodate after aggressive hiring sprees during the pandemic. In 2022, the company cut about 13 percent of its workforce – about 11,000 employees – with CEO Mark Zuckerberg taking personal responsibility. The company later announced an additional 10,000 layoffs in 2023 as part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “Year of Efficiency” initiative.
Tech layoffs will continue to impact the industry in 2024, driven by economic pressures and a strategic shift toward AI and cost cutting. Companies like Intel, Cisco and IBM have made substantial cuts, with Intel reducing 15 percent of its workforce to address revenue challenges. By August, more than 1,36,000 technical workers in 422 companies were laid off. Organizations are increasingly turning investments toward AI and cybersecurity, reshaping roles and eliminating others in the process.
