Meta Axes Staff At WhatsApp, Instagram, Reality Labs – Report

Meta Platforms is conducting a shakeup and reorganisation of some of its teams, which reportedly involves some job losses.

The Verge, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Meta is laying off staff across various departments, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Reality Labs.

It has been a torrid few years for Meta’s workforce, after CEO Mark Zuckerberg had promised investors that 2023 would be a “year of efficiency”, amid investor concern after a tough 2022.

Meta job losses

In November 2022 Meta cut about 13 percent of its employees, or roughly 11,000 jobs.

Then in March 2023 CEO Mark Zuckerberg informed staff that he had made the “difficult decision” to axe another 10,000 positions.

But that was not the end of the job losses at Meta.

In April 2023 the firm confirmed it had begun laying off technical staff‘; in May it also axed hundreds of jobs at its international headquarters in Ireland; and then in October 2023 Meta axed an undisclosed number of staff at it is Metaverse-oriented Reality Labs Unit.

Now according to the Verge, Meta has begun laying off employees across various departments, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Reality Labs.

Team reorganisations

However rather than previous mass mass, company-wide layoffs, these smaller cuts seem to coincide with reorganisations of specific teams.

The Verge reported that some Meta employees have started posting that they’ve been laid off. Among them reportedly is Jane Manchun Wong, who gained notoriety for reporting on unannounced features in certain Meta apps.

“I’m still trying to process this but I’m informed that my role at Meta has been impacted. Thank you to everyone, especially my Threads and Instagram teammates, for my wild journey at Meta,” Wong wrote on Threads.

“Today, a few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy,” company spokesperson Dave Arnold said in a statement shared with The Verge.

“This includes moving some teams to different locations, and moving some employees to different roles. In situations like this when a role is eliminated, we work hard to find other opportunities for impacted employees.”

There is no word at the time of writing of the number of people that Meta is currently letting go.

Meanwhile the Financial Times has reported that Meta fired another two dozen staff in Los Angeles for allegedly abusing their daily $25 meal credits to instead buy household items including acne pads, wine glasses and laundry detergent.

Those terminations reportedly took place last week, and are separate from the team restructuring.