Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has confirmed plans to carry out company-wide layoffs next week, as revealed in internal memos shared with staff on Friday. The company is expected to send notifications to employees affected by the layoffs starting at 5 a.m. local time on Monday in various countries, including the United States. Meta has made it clear that these cuts are part of a broader strategy to trim down its workforce, focusing particularly on “low performers,” a move previously announced by the company. Alongside these layoffs, Meta is accelerating its recruitment of machine learning engineers, indicating a shift towards prioritizing AI expertise.
According to the memo from Meta’s Head of People, Janelle Gale, employees in certain countries, including Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, will not be impacted by the layoffs due to local labor regulations. However, employees in other regions, including parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, will receive their notifications between February 11 and February 18. The company’s decision to proceed with layoffs in these countries while maintaining operations in others highlights the complexities of managing a global workforce under varying legal constraints.
The layoffs will affect approximately five percent of Meta’s employees, particularly those deemed as “lowest performers.” Despite the cuts, Meta has committed to backfilling some of the positions, although specific details regarding the number of roles being reinstated or the timeline for these rehiring efforts remain unclear. The announcement comes as Meta continues to refocus its priorities, with machine learning and AI emerging as key areas of investment for the company moving forward.
In a departure from previous mass layoffs, Meta will not be shutting down its offices on Monday and will not issue further updates about the terminations, according to Gale’s memo. This approach signals a more structured, perhaps less disruptive method of handling the cuts, as Meta seeks to navigate its workforce changes while continuing its operations. The company’s decision to keep the offices open suggests a desire to maintain normalcy during the announcement, despite the ongoing restructuring process.
