Meta to cut about 3,600 workers, 5% of workforce

Meta plans to cut about 3,600 workers, representing 5 per cent of its workforce, to eliminate low-performing employees.

Meta confirmed the retrenchment exercise, which was first reported by Bloomberg, in response to Mothership's queries.

The company had about 72,400 employees as of Sep. 30.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a memo that the company's plan reflects the anticipation of an "intense year" that will focus on technology, such as artificial intelligence and smart glasses.

"I've decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster," Zuckerberg wrote in the memo.

The Meta employees who are cut will receive "generous severance," Zuckerberg said in the memo as well.

It is not known if Meta staff in Singapore will be affected.

The Meta office in Singapore is located at Marina One.

Background

This decision comes on the back of Meta ending its fact-checking programme and replacing it with a community-driven system similar to that used by Elon Musk's X.

Zuckerberg cited the 2024 U.S. presidential election as an underlying reason for the decision, calling it a "cultural tipping point".

Meta is also ending its key diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programmes.

Corporate giants, such as McDonald's and Walmart, have also ended their diversity initiatives.

Top photo via Unsplash