Employees at Meta have been experiencing significant anxiety in recent weeks. In April, they were informed that 8,000 jobs, constituting 10% of the workforce, would be eliminated by May 20 as part of Meta’s transformation into an AI-centric company. On the same note, it was announced that an additional 7,000 employees would be reassigned to focus on new AI initiatives.
The layoffs commenced on Wednesday morning, starting in Singapore where emails were sent out at 4 a.m. local time to affected employees. The notifications subsequently continued in offices across Britain, the United States, and other locations, reaching workers early in their respective time zones.
Many employees, in response to the layoffs, exchanged somber messages through remote communication. They also utilized the internal directory to determine the colleagues in their teams who were affected by the cuts. On Meta’s internal forums, hundreds of workers reacted by posting salad emojis, symbolizing a salute. Some workers, including at least one hired within the past month, were part of those let go, according to sources familiar with the situations.
On Wednesday, Meta’s office spaces were largely deserted. Janelle Gale, the head of human resources at the company, had advised employees to work from home throughout the week. Fliers visible on the office walls indicated a petition against Meta’s new initiative to track employee data for AI training purposes, as noted by eight employees. Some workers opted to gather free snacks and laptop chargers from the offices on Monday, anticipating potential unemployment by the week’s end.
The situation at Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, illustrates the impact of layoffs amidst the advent of AI. Job reductions in tech firms, driven by this rapidly evolving technology, have become more pronounced. For instance, Cisco, a major networking company, recently announced the elimination of 4,000 positions as it reallocated resources towards AI. Similarly, companies like Microsoft, Block, and Coinbase have made announcements regarding layoffs or buyouts in connection with the technology.