Meta, formerly known as Facebook, announced on Wednesday that it is laying off 13% of its staff, or more than 11,000 employees, in what CEO Mark Zuckerberg called “some of the most difficult changes we’ve made in Meta’s history” .
The layoff comes amid a challenging time for Meta, which has faced regulatory scrutiny, public backlash, and internal turmoil over its impact on society, privacy, and democracy. Meta also provided lukewarm guidance for its upcoming fourth-quarter earnings that spooked investors and caused its shares to sink nearly 20%.
Zuckerberg said the layoff was necessary to “focus on our most important priorities” and “build a more efficient and resilient organization”. He said Meta would invest more in building the metaverse, a virtual reality platform that he envisions as the future of social media. He also said Meta would continue to support its core apps such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
However, some employees and analysts have questioned Zuckerberg’s leadership and vision after the layoff. At an all-hands meeting on Thursday, Zuckerberg was grilled by employees about how they could trust his direction after two rounds of layoffs.
He said he expected to be evaluated based on whether he delivered on his promises. Some analysts have also expressed doubts about whether Meta can successfully transition to the metaverse while facing fierce competition from rivals such as Microsoft and Roblox.
The layoff has also sparked outrage and sympathy from former employees and users who criticized Meta for its cold and impersonal handling of the situation. Some employees said they learned about their fate from news reports before receiving official confirmation from Meta.
Others said they were abruptly locked out of their accounts and devices without any notice or farewell . Many users took to social media to express their support for the laid-off workers and their anger at Meta’s lack of empathy.
Meta’s massive layoff is one of the biggest in Silicon Valley history and marks a turning point for the company that once dominated the social media landscape. It remains to be seen how Meta will cope with the aftermath of this decision and whether it can achieve its ambitious goal of building the metaverse.
