Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Announces Layoffs of 3,600 Employees for Poor Performance

Meta is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It was announced layoffs of approximately 3,600 employees performed poorly. CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained the decision, saying it is part of a larger drive to enhance standards and attract fresh talent.

Mark Zuckerberg said that we need to “raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster” in a private memo that Bloomberg made public. It is planned that the company has the “strongest talent” and can “bring new people in” by letting go of about 5% of its staff.

In the process, Meta is scaling back or curbing some activities and ending fact-checking in the U.S. On one more note, Zuckerberg has morphed of late into a somewhat right-wing leader.

About 72,400 people worked for Meta as of September 2024. Employees who are impacted will be told by February 10, 2025. Employees from other countries will be told later. People who are fired will get large retirement packages.

Another big US company, Microsoft, recently revealed layoffs affecting less than 1% of its workforce. Zuckerberg’s decision comes after similar performance-based cuts by other big US companies.