Meta to lay off 3,600 employees, plans to bring in new talent

Meta is set to lay off around 3,600 employees identified as 'low performers', replacing them with new hires, according to an internal memo reported by Bloomberg. The tech giant, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, confirmed to AFP that the decision by CEO Mark Zuckerberg will impact 5% of its workforce.  

As of September, Meta had a total of approximately 72,400 employees. "I've decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster," Zuckerberg stated. He explained that the performance-based layoffs aim to ensure the company retains the 'strongest talent' while making room to 'bring new people in'.

The layoffs are part of Meta's broader goal to achieve 'non-regrettable attrition', aiming for a 10% reduction in this category by the end of the current performance cycle. Around 5% of these cuts will impact employees with performance ratings, who will receive generous severance packages. 

Last week, Zuckerberg announced the end of Meta's U.S. fact-checking program, which was designed to combat misinformation on its platforms. The program had faced criticism from conservative groups, who argued it amounted to censorship.  

In its place, Meta is introducing a system allowing users to add context to posts, similar to the community notes feature on X (formerly Twitter), championed by Elon Musk, the platform's owner.  

Additionally, Meta has scaled back its diversity initiatives and eased content moderation policies on Facebook and Instagram, particularly in areas involving certain types of hostile speech.