Meta announced another round of layoffs, affecting 5 percent of its global workforce i.e. approx. 3,600 employees. 

The layoffs, targeting 'under-performers,' are part of Meta’s restructuring to streamline operations and ramp up AI investments—fueling concerns that AI is indeed replacing human jobs.  

Unlike previous rounds of mass layoffs, this time Meta is not issuing a company-wide statement and will keep its offices open. 

Laid-off employees across Europe, Asia, and Africa began receiving termination notices on February 11, with more expected until February 18. However, workers in Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands are exempt due to stricter labour laws.

In a memo by Janelle Gale, Meta’s Head of People, it was confirmed that affected employees would be notified at 5 a.m. local time in most regions. She also shared details of severance packages for the laid-off employees, for example: U.S.-based employees will receive 16 weeks of salary plus two additional weeks for each year of service, along with bonuses and stock awards.  

Acknowledging the layoffs, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Meta aims to 'raise the bar on performance' and accelerate the removal of underperformers as warned last year. 

However, a Business Insider report suggests that some of the layoffs may not have been purely performance-based, as Meta claims. Employees who initially received satisfactory ratings in their mid-year reviews reportedly saw their ratings downgraded at year-end, potentially making them eligible for termination. This raises questions about whether the layoffs were more about cost-cutting or restructuring rather than purely addressing low performance.

The affected employees vented on the social platform Reddit: 

Some even hinted Meta's DEI rollback a key reason behind these layoffs:

Meta’s focus is rapidly shifting towards AI and automation, with an expedited hiring process for machine learning engineers and other key roles. An internal memo from Peng Fan, VP of Engineering for Monetization, highlights the urgency of strengthening AI capabilities between February 11 and March 13.  

This move aligns with broader trends in the tech industry, where companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, have also reduced their workforce to increase AI investments. Meta itself has committed over US $65 billion to AI development, a 50 percent increase from its last year’s budget.  

While the restructuring is framed as a performance-based initiative, it reflects a larger shift in the tech landscape—cutting costs in non-essential areas while aggressively expanding AI-driven innovation.