Meta Initiates Major Layoffs While Ramp Up Hiring for AI Talent

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, is poised for company-wide layoffs commencing next week, as revealed in an internal memo. The memo indicates that the lay-off notices will be distributed starting early Monday morning at 5 a.m. local time in most countries, including the United States. However, employees in Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands are shielded from these cuts due to local regulatory protections. Meanwhile, employees in several other countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa will be notified between February 11 and February 18.

The layoffs, as outlined by Meta’s human resources chief Janelle Gale, are targeted as “performance terminations” aimed at reducing the workforce by approximately 5% by cutting underperforming staff. Despite this workforce reduction, Meta plans to maintain open office operations on Monday, opting not to disclose any additional details on the decision-making process behind these layoffs.

In conjunction with these downsizing efforts, Meta is aggressively pursuing the recruitment of machine learning engineers and other essential technical roles. Peng Fan, the Vice President in charge of monetization engineering, emphasized the acceleration of hiring processes for these positions in another memo distributed on Friday. This recruitment drive is scheduled to take place from February 11 to March 13.

This dual strategy highlights Meta's focus on maintaining its competitive edge in technology and innovation. The company is redirecting some resources towards bolstering its capabilities in machine learning, deemed critical for its future business priorities through 2025. Employees are being called upon to support these accelerated hiring efforts, aligning Meta's workforce with its strategic goals.