Meta Cuts Jobs Across Instagram, WhatsApp, and Reality Labs

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Key Takeaways

  • Meta is reducing staff in departments like WhatsApp and Instagram due to team reorganizations.
  • Among those affected by layoffs is tech blogger Jane Manchun Wong.
  • The layoffs are part of Meta's ongoing efficiency drive, which began in 2022 and has led to thousands of job cuts.

Meta has begun workforce reductions in departments such as Instagram, Reality Labs and WhatsApp.

These layoffs are likely not companywide but part of specific team reorganizations, the Verge reported on October 17, referencing sources familiar with the situation.

Among those impacted is Jane Manchun Wong, a tech blogger known for using reverse engineering techniques to uncover unreleased app features, who joined the Threads team in 2023. At that time, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, and Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s CTO, praised her appointment.

Other ex-Meta employees announced their layoffs on social media, including those from Facebook, talent acquisition, legal administration, and design.

A former Meta employee told TechCrunch that some workers received offers for new roles, while others accepted severance packages. He noted that over a dozen team members were informed of their layoffs via video calls on October 16, with some receiving six weeks of severance pay.

In a statement, a company representative clarified that some teams at Meta were implementing changes to align with their long-term objectives and location strategy.

In a separate report, the Financial Times noted that Meta fired about two dozen staff in Los Angeles for allegedly misusing their $25 daily meal allowances on purchase items like wine glasses, acne pads, and laundry supplies. These terminations, which happened last week, are unrelated to the team realignments.

Meta Cuts Workforce After Pandemic Over Hiring

In recent years, Meta has significantly reduced its staff to align with the company’s needs following proactive hiring in response to the pandemic. In 2022, Meta laid off 11,000 employees, or 13% of its workforce, followed by another 10,000 cuts in 2023 as part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “year of efficiency” plan, and it withdrew 5,000 unfilled positions.

Wall Street’s positive reaction to the cuts and focus on AI has pushed shares to about $577, near all-time highs | Source: Google Finance