Meta laying off staff at WhatsApp, Instagram & Reality Labs

Meta is laying off its staff at WhatsApp, Instagram and Reality Labs, the unit where most of the "metaverse technologies" (i.e. virtual and augmented reality tech) are based.

According to The Verge, which cited sources familiar with the matter, the layoffs are not across the company but rather smaller reductions that appear to have coincided with the reorganisation of some teams.

The number of layoffs was not reported.

A spokesperson for Meta said in response to media queries that "a few teams" are making changes to ensure alignment with their long-term strategic goals and locations strategy.

The spokesperson added:

"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."

Latest round of layoffs by Meta since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic

In November 2022, around the end of the Covid pandemic, Meta laid off 11,000 employees which was around 13 per cent of its workforce, according to CNBC News.

Another 10,000 people were then laid off in 2023 after Meta's Chief Executive Officer, Mark Zuckerburg, declared 2023 the "Year of Efficiency".

Earlier in July 2024, Meta's Reality Labs unit posted a loss of about US$4.5 billion (S$5.9 billion) for the second quarter of 2024.

Since 2020, Reality Labs has generated cumulative losses of about US$50 billion (S$65.6 billion)

Top left image via Meta/Facebook, right image via Unsplash