Meta puts 5% jobs in the chopping block based on performance, around 3,600 cuts and rehires on cards, says report

Facebook parent Meta Platforms is cutting around 5 per cent or 3,600 jobs based on performances and will hire for the roles, according to a Bloomberg citing an internal note to employees from CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Employees being impacted will receive notifications by February 10, it added.

The memo sent to all employees by Zuckerberg said, “I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster.”

As of September 2024, Meta employed close to 72,000 people, a 5 per cent cut would thus affect at least 3,600 jobs. 

Mark Zuckerberg's Job Cuts Memo

“We typically manage out people who aren’t meeting expectations over the course of a year, but now we’re going to do more extensive performance-based cuts during this cycle,” Zuckerberg said in his note.

Meta’s performance cycle is expected to wrap up in February, a source told the publication. The memo further said that affected workers in the US are expected to be notified on February 10, while those based in other countries will be informed at a later date.

He added that only employees who have been with the company long enough to be eligible for a performance review will be included and Meta would “provide generous severance” in line with past cuts.

New Hires to Replace Cuts?

The note to managers states that these cuts are performance-based and aimed at ensuring the company has the “strongest talent” and is able to “bring new people in.” Quite a change from the stance in 2023, when Meta cut 10,000 jobs and Zuckerberg declared it as Meta's “year of efficiency”.

Altogether, Meta expects its headcount to be down 10 per cent by the end of the current performance cycle. That total includes an additional 5 per cent reduction from attrition last year, according to the message to managers.

For its various firms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and others, headcount decisions will be made by each based on their respective number of reductions last year, the report added.

Shift Towards Trump Alignment

Zuckerberg last week announced a series of changes at Meta, including disbanding US-based fact-checking on its platforms, ending many of its diversity and inclusion efforts, and changing its “hateful conduct” policy to allow more flexibility around language used to discuss immigrants, women, and transgender and nonbinary people. The moves coincide with Zuckerberg’s efforts to improve relations with President-elect Donald Trump, whose forthcoming inauguration he plans to attend.

In the note to staff, Zuckerberg said he’s positioning the company for what he expects to be an “intense year” focused on artificial intelligence, smart glasses and the future of social media.

Meta isn’t alone in making performance-based job cuts at the start of the new year. Last week, Business Insider reported that Microsoft Corp. would be making job cuts targeting underperforming employees.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)