Mark Zuckerberg testifies YouTube screenshot
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has unleashed a brutal wave of layoffs, cutting approximately 4,000 jobs in what it calls a performance-based purge. However, according to a new report, many of the affected employees claim they had received stellar reviews from their managers just last year.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in a move reminiscent of Elon Musk’s ruthless approach to corporate restructuring, announced in January that he was slashing 5% of Meta’s workforce. His reasoning? A relentless push for higher standards. Declaring that he had “decided to raise the bar on performance management,” Zuckerberg signaled a new, more “hardcore” era at the tech giant—one where only the strongest survive.
Back in January when cuts were first revealed, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a memo, “I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low performers faster. 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.”
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“It appears as though they are facing some really serious financial hurdles,” said Prof. James Mohs, a business lecturer at the University of New Haven, told MSN. “Not only did they do rank-and-file, but they did C-suite executives. So that’s eliminating, trading more efficiencies if you will.”
“They’re targeting the low performers. Those that are not performing up to the standards. Now, there’s another blurb that says Mr. Zuckerberg has raised the standards. Low performing could be anything from not coming into the office and not interacting with people. You know where I’m going with that. To simply working from home and not doing much,” added Mohs.
It is possible that Meta is freeing up funds for a bold and unprecedented move in the tech landscape. In January, Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to pour up to $65 billion into expanding the company’s AI infrastructure in 2024, a high-stakes gamble to outpace rivals OpenAI and Google in the fierce battle for dominance in artificial intelligence.
The move came less than two weeks after Meta agreed to a staggering $25 million settlement to resolve a high-profile lawsuit filed in 2021 by former President Donald Trump. The lawsuit, which stemmed from Trump’s controversial suspension from Facebook and Instagram following the tumultuous events of the January 6 Capitol riots, marked a fierce battle over free speech, corporate power, and political influence. This settlement underscores the enduring tensions between tech giants and political figures, bringing a dramatic chapter in digital censorship and governance to a costly conclusion.
