Meta to fire 3,600 employees citing 'performance issues'

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is set to dismiss approximately 3,600 employees identified as underperformers, according to a reported by Bloomberg. This decision, confirmed by the company, will affect around 5% of its workforce, which stood at 72,400 employees as of September.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained the rationale behind the move, stating, “I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster.” He added that the performance-based dismissals aim to ensure the company retains “the strongest talent” while creating opportunities to “bring new people in.”

Performance-related layoffs are a common practice among major US corporations. Last week, Microsoft announced similar cuts impacting less than 1% of its staff, according to Business Insider.

The job cuts at Meta come as the company undergoes broader changes. Zuckerberg has recently shown alignment with conservative viewpoints, including hosting private meetings with former President Donald Trump and appointing a Republican as Meta’s head of public affairs.

Additionally, Meta has made important shifts in its policies. The company has ended its US fact-checking programme, which had aimed to combat misinformation but faced criticism from conservatives as being biased. Under a new system, users will be able to add context to posts, similar to features on X, introduced by owner Elon Musk.

Meta has also scaled back its diversity initiatives and relaxed content moderation rules on Facebook and Instagram, particularly concerning certain types of controversial speech. These changes are part of the company’s evolving strategy as it navigates political and social pressures.

Read: Meta to overhaul content moderation: Fewer factcheckers, more political content