Meta, the technology company formerly known as Facebook, laid off more than 1,000 workers in tech and engineering roles this week. The company began the second round of layoffs in its “Year of Efficiency” program on Wednesday, though it did not specify exactly which parts of the company were affected. In a memo to Meta’s internal Workplace forum, HR head Lori Goler noted that emails would begin arriving at 4 a.m. PT, informing employees of their employment status.
Management roles and technical product managers were (TPMs) were among those that were especially hard-hit on Wednesday, with speculation that Meta may aim to get rid of the TPM role entirely. As previously reported, Meta plans to implement another round of layoffs next month, this time targeting its business divisions.
A number of Meta employees working remotely full-time were also laid off, though Meta recently stopped offering those roles in job postings—claiming the move to be a “temporary” measure at the time. Those laid off received a note saying “A message from Meta’s leadership team” with a general explanation being “business decisions at Meta.” Those employees were given 16 weeks of severance and benefits coverage for a year.
Though the layoffs are undoubtedly tough, Meta is not the only company dealing with job cuts. With the pandemic still very much in effect, layoffs have been reported around the world. Meta has done its best to be comprehensive about the process—answer questions for laid off employees on their Zoom calls and offering minimal amounts of severance.
Mark Zuckerberg is the CEO of Meta, formerly Facebook. He has declared the company wants to become a “leaner” organization, marking the beginning of the rounds of layoffs. He has also discussed the importance of flattening the hierarchical structure of the company.
Lori Goler is the current head of HR at Meta. She was formerly the Vice President of People at Facebook, and continues to serve in that role with Meta. She joined Facebook in 2008 and has since held other senior People positions in the company. She posted her internal memo to the company’s Workplace forum, confirming the start of the layoffs and informing employees of their status.
