Meta To Fire 11,000 Employees, Confirms Zuckerberg; Will They Be Compensated?

New York: Mark Zuckerberg confirmed on Wednesday that Meta is firing 11,000 employees.

The massive axing at Meta will reduce the staff strength of Meta – which is the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram – by around 13%.

Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, said in a post on his company’s official website that the decision to lay off so many employees at one go was the most difficult so far.

The mass job cuts will impact employees in Meta offices across the world, including India.

“Today I’m sharing some of the most difficult changes we’ve made in Meta’s history. I’ve decided to reduce the size of our team by about 13 per cent and let more than 11,000 of our talented employees go. We are also taking a number of additional steps to become a leaner and more efficient company by cutting discretionary spending and extending our hiring freeze through Q1,” Zuckerberg said in the official blog post.

Taking full responsibility, Zuckerberg stated, “I want to take accountability for these decisions and for how we got here. I know this is tough for everyone, and I’m especially sorry to those impacted.”

Though it was a difficult decision, Zuckerberg assured that the process will be kinder towards the affected staff.

Also Read: Mass Twitter Layoffs: Elon Musk Says Company Losing $4 Million Per Day

The CEO stated that impacted employees will get an email and get to know what the layoff means for them.

“Every affected employee will have the opportunity to speak with someone to get their questions answered and join information sessions,” Zuckerberg said.

Employees in the US will get severance pay for 16 weeks, plus two additional weeks for every year of service, with no cap.

Meta will also extend immigration support to impacted employees.

“I know this is especially difficult if you’re here on a visa. There’s a notice period before termination and some visa grace periods, which means everyone will have time to make plans and work through their immigration status. We have dedicated immigration specialists to help guide you based on what you and your family need,” Zuckerberg assured in the post.

Laid off employees outside the US will also get support, and the company will share country-wise details with separate processes taking into account local employment laws.

Meta’s decision comes close on the heels of Elon Musk firing almost 50% of Twitter’s employees.