Meta is planning to lay off 5% of its workers, a total of more than 3,600 employees.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the job cuts come ahead of what will likely be an “intense year” as the company continues its focus on artificial intelligence and smart glasses.
“I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster,” Zuckerberg wrote in a memo on Tuesday. “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.”
The lost jobs are the latest shakeup at the company, which recently added UFC boss Dana White to its board of directors and eliminated its fact-checking system, replacing it with user-written “community notes.”
Zuckerberg pointed to Donald Trump’s reelection as the underlying reasoning behind those decisions and others, including ending DEI programs.
“The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech, so we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our polices and restoring free expression on our platforms,” Zuckerberg said in a video last week.
The company said affected employees will learn their fate by Feb. 10 and receive severance packages similar to what the company has offered in the past.
Meta previously eliminated around 21,000 jobs, roughly 25% of its workforce, across 2022 and 2023. The company currently has about 72,400 employees.