Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, plans to lay off approximately 3,600 employees (5% of its workforce) by February 2025. The primary goal is to remove underperforming employees, citing an anticipated “challenging year.”
Layoff notices in the U.S. will be issued on February 10, with notifications for employees outside the U.S. to follow later. Affected employees will receive generous severance packages. Meta intends to replace the departing staff with more talented individuals.
This marks the second major round of workforce optimization after a 25% reduction in 2023. Despite a 67% surge in the company’s stock in 2024 due to AI investments, its Reality Labs division continues to incur losses.
Meta has also ended third-party fact-checking programs and reinstated political content to improve relations with Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration. The company donated $1 million to the inauguration, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to attend the ceremony.
