Thread regarding Meta / Facebook layoffs

Here we go again

Memos sent, 5% cut. Employees affected in the US would be notified on February 10, and others later, as per Zuckerberg.

Here is the memo:

Meta is working on building some of the most important technologies in the world - AI, glasses as the next computing platform, and the future of social media. This is going to be an intense year, and I want to make sure we have the best people on our teams.
I've decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster. We typically manage out people who aren't meeting expectations over the course of a year, but now we're going to do more extensive performance-based cuts during this cycle - with the intention of backfilling these roles in 2025. We won't manage out everyone who didn't meet expectations for the last period if we're optimistic about their future performance, and for those we do let go we'll provide generous severance in line with what we've provided with previous cuts.

We'll follow up with more guidance for managers ahead of calibrations. People who are impacted will be notified on February 10 - or later for those outside the US.

Letting people go is never easy. But I'm confident this will strengthen our teams and help us build leading technology to enable the future of human connection.
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| 1911 views | | 10 replies (last January 15, 2025) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1jhkp8hcm

10 replies (most recent on top)

This is part of high-tech life: stack ranking, free meals, free perks, and they do this every year; it is called recycling.

When you see the offer letter for 500k+, you want to sign it right away, but one year later, you realize that free money and free meals are not forever.

Please make sure to cash out the 2k perk before Feb 10.

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Post ID: @cj+1jhkp8hcm

great news

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Post ID: @aw+1jhkp8hcm

I’m with ya! Being a developer (and one of the best), I don’t care, give me 5 minutes and will be hired by another company, probably for more. I’ll walk out tomorrow. They can’t fire everyone.

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Post ID: @av+1jhkp8hcm

Want to unionize? Walkout, strike tomorrow. Who’s with me?

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Post ID: @at+1jhkp8hcm

Do I understand it correctly: those who will get laid off on Feb 10 would have otherwise piped out a year later?

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Post ID: @ar+1jhkp8hcm

2025 is the year of high performance!

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Post ID: @aq+1jhkp8hcm

Folks love the Meta glasses...
https://www.pcmag.com/news/fbi-meta-smart-glasses-used-to-plot-new-orleans-attack

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Post ID: @ag+1jhkp8hcm

Gotta make room for the flood of H1B’s.

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Post ID: @a9+1jhkp8hcm

meta, why are you labeling people you’ve let go as “low performers” in public communications? this isn’t just unnecessary; it’s outright damaging to those individuals who are now facing an already tough job market.

it gets interesting as in these challenging economic times, every word matters. by branding laid-off employees as underperformers, you’re making it significantly harder for them to find new opportunities. potential employers might hesitate to hire someone unfairly stigmatized as a “low performer,” even if they were exceptional at their jobs. It surely feels like a big kick when they’re already down.

but NO - this isn’t about performance. many other companies, like microsoft and amazon, have done similar layoffs recently, and they used the same excuse: “low performance.” it’s likely not true in most casses.... this is just a convenient narrative to protect their image and justify layoffs to shldrs. it’s not about performance; it’s about cutting costs, replacing experienced employees with cheaper labor, and reducing backlash...

these layoffs are not just numbers on a spreadsheet—they affect real people with families, careers, it crashes people dreas --- labeling them publicly hurts their future job prospects and mental well-being. it’s not just cruel as a matter of fact it's very much counterproductive and stupid... in europe peeps have stronger protections against arbitrary firings, and companies need to provide solid evidence of poor performance. why isn’t meta being held to similar standards everywhere? why should american employees be treated differently at all - makes no sense at all...

One point I keep seeing is that employees in the usa should document everything, record conversations, and prepare for lawsuits. it’s sad that people have to think this way, but it’s becoming the reality in the corp america.this trend is bigger than meta. tech companies are now competing not just in innovation but in how quickly they can downsize while still keeping wall street happy. publicly labeling laid-off workers as “low roi” or “underperformers” might even be part of a broader, more sinister agenda. could this be a way to discourage other companies from hiring those affected? META is just signaling to wall street, they don’t care about employees anymore. meta and other companies need to stop using the “low performer” excuse, it's lame, demeaning and just plain stupid... layoffs are already hard enough without adding insult to injury. offer meaningful severance, job placement assistance, and references. if you really care about your employees hhelp them land on their feet.

Meta - you ought to own up to the real reasons behind layoffs. stop hiding behind excuses that harm reputations. this way isn’t just harmful to individuals it’s damaging your brand. the world is watching how you treat people during tough times, and your actions now will define how employees, potential hires, and even customers see you in the future. to everyone who’s been affected my message is that you deserve better. don’t let this sh-t define you, it's zucks stupid idea and it's not the first stupid one coming from him... if you’re struggling to find work, know that there are still companies and people who see your worth,, just go to hacker news and announce that you've been cut and there will be a community of folks who will jump to help u... good luck all.

what do you think? should companies be more responsible about how they communicate layoffs? let’s talk about it below.

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Post ID: @a2+1jhkp8hcm

Meta is cutting roughly 5% of its staff through performance-based terminations and plans to hire new people to fill their roles this year…

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Post ID: @a1+1jhkp8hcm

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