Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has confirmed a new round of targeted layoffs affecting various teams across its subsidiaries, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and the virtual reality unit Reality Labs. This move is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to realign its resources with strategic goals and optimize its workforce distribution.
A Meta spokesperson released a statement explaining the company’s approach: “This includes moving some teams to different locations, and moving some employees to different roles. In situations like this when a role is eliminated, we work hard to find other opportunities for impacted employees.” However, the company did not disclose the specific number of employees affected by these latest cuts.
The layoffs appear to be part of Meta’s broader strategy to streamline operations and improve efficiency. This follows CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s declaration of 2023 as a “year of efficiency,” which saw the company implement significant workforce reductions. In 2022, Meta let go of 11,000 employees, followed by another 10,000 job cuts in 2023. Additionally, earlier this year, several positions were eliminated in the Reality Labs division.
Among those affected by the latest round of layoffs was Jane Manchun Wong, a software engineer known for her ability to uncover unreleased features in popular social media apps. Wong, who joined Meta in 2023, shared her experience on the company’s Threads platform, stating, “I’m still trying to process this but I’m informed that my role at Meta has been impacted.”
These layoffs reflect the ongoing challenges and adjustments in the tech industry, particularly for companies that experienced rapid growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meta, like many of its peers, hired aggressively during this period to meet increased demand for digital services. However, changing market conditions and a focus on long-term sustainability have led to subsequent workforce reductions and reorganizations.
The company’s decision to reallocate resources across different locations and roles suggests a strategic shift in how Meta plans to operate moving forward. This could potentially involve a greater emphasis on certain geographic markets or a rebalancing of resources between its various products and initiatives.
