Mark Zuckerberg predicts 2025 will be an “intense year” that will require rapid innovation, and says Meta has announced that it will cut 5 percent of its workforce, targeting its “worst performers.” It has been reported.
Bloomberg reviewed an internal memo explaining the layoffs posted on Meta’s internal workplace forum on Tuesday. In the statement, Zuckerberg acknowledged that Meta is shifting its strategy to “fire poor performers faster” so it can hire new people to fill vacancies this year.
“We’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management,” Zuckerberg said. “We typically manage talent that does not meet expectations over a one-year period, but we will now make broader performance-based reductions during this cycle.”
Meta’s most recent headcount was around 72,000 as of September, so the layoffs will likely affect more than 3,600 employees. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Zuckerberg said that if Meta is “optimistic about future performance,” employees who are not currently meeting expectations could be exempted. However, it may not be as simple as firing an employee with poor performance reviews.
Affected employees will be notified by February 10 and will receive “generous severance benefits,” Zuckerberg’s memo said.
This will be Meta’s biggest layoff since 2023, when Meta laid off 10,000 employees during what Zuckerberg called “the year of efficiency.” These cuts follow a previous round in which 11,000 people lost their jobs, and Zuckerberg acknowledged that “leaner is better.” He told employees in 2023 that the “amazing result” of the job cuts was that “many things moved faster.”
In 2023, Zuckerberg said, “Lean organizations will deliver on their top priorities faster. People will be more productive and work will be more fun and fulfilling. That’s why, in the Year of Efficiency, we’re canceling duplicate and low-priority projects to make every organization as lean as possible. We focus on that.”
