Meta Mass Layoffs: Social Media Giant Announces Job Cuts at WhatsApp, Instagram, Other Teams

New Delhi: Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has begun laying off employees across various departments. The social media giant has confirmed layoffs in several key divisions, including its core platforms Instagram and WhatsApp. The layoffs at Meta Platforms seem to have affected employees from various teams, including Threads, recruiting, legal operations and design, as indicated by social media posts announcing the job cuts.

Some Meta employees have begun sharing that they’ve been laid off. One of them is Jane Manchun Wong, known for revealing upcoming app features before joining the Threads team in 2023. Taking to Threads, Wong wrote, “I’m still trying to process this but I’m informed that my role at Meta has been impacted. Thank you to everyone, especially my Threads and Instagram teammates, for my wild journey at Meta. If anyone is interested in working together esp on software/security engineering, please reach out via my email, LinkedIn, etc noted on my personal website.”

“Today, a few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy,” said a Meta spokesperson in an emailed statement. “This includes moving some teams to different locations, and moving some employees to different roles. In situations like this when a role is eliminated, we work hard to find other opportunities for impacted employees.”

While the exact number of current layoffs remains unclear, reports suggest these cuts are part of a broader effort to streamline operations and reduce costs.

This latest layoff news comes amid recent reports highlight slowing user growth and rising competition for Meta’s core social media platforms. Meta has also been criticized for its approach to user data privacy and the substantial investments made in its early-stage virtual and augmented reality projects under Reality Labs.

In recent years, Meta has been downsizing its workforce after rapid hiring during the pandemic. In 2022, the company cut 13% of its staff, or 11,000 employees, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg taking responsibility for the decision. In 2023, Meta laid off another 10,000 workers and canceled 5,000 unfilled positions.