Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently warned employees to brace for an “intense year”—and the company has followed through with significant job cuts. On Monday, approximately 3,600 workers were laid off, including some who claim they had strong performance records. https://threadtter.com/meta-vs-tiktok-why-zuckerberg-initially-underestimated-the-competition/
Zuckerberg previously stated that the layoffs would primarily target the lowest-performing employees. In a mid-January internal memo, he mentioned plans to “raise the bar on performance management” and move out underperformers more quickly. The expectation was that only those not meeting company standards would be affected by the reductions, which account for about 5% of Meta’s workforce.
However, numerous former employees dispute this characterization, revealing they received favorable performance reviews yet still lost their jobs.
Unexpected Layoffs for High Performers
One such employee, ex-content manager Kaila Curry, shared her experience on LinkedIn, stating she had received an “exceeds expectations” rating on her midyear review but was still let go.
“I frequently asked for feedback and was always told I was doing a good job,” she wrote. “I was never placed on a performance improvement plan, never given corrective feedback, and never clearly informed of expectations. I simply did my work… I am not a low performer.”
Another affected employee, a former Instagram product designer named Steven S., also refuted Meta’s explanation for the cuts.
“Let’s be clear: that label is misleading, and for many of us, it’s flat-out wrong,” he wrote on LinkedIn, though he did not disclose his exact performance rating.
Business Insider also spoke with several anonymous ex-Meta workers who confirmed they had received “at or above expectations” ratings in their 2024 performance reviews. These rankings placed them in the company’s mid-tier category, rather than among those considered low performers. https://threadtter.com/metas-intense-year-ahead-what-employees-can-expect-from-zuckerbergs-2025-plans/
“The hardest part is Meta publicly stating they’re cutting low performers, so it feels like we have the scarlet letter on our backs,” one former employee told Business Insider. “People need to know we’re not underperformers.”
Criticism Over Layoff Messaging
Diane Brady, executive director of Fortune Live Media, criticized Meta’s approach to the layoffs, arguing that labeling affected employees as low performers harms their reputations unnecessarily.
“There’s something to be said for letting people leave with their dignity intact rather than branding them as subpar performers,” Brady wrote in her CEO Daily newsletter. “Companies that celebrate and support former employees tend to create more fans than foes.”
Meta’s Strategic Workforce Shift
These layoffs follow Zuckerberg’s push for a “year of efficiency” in 2023, during which the company eliminated 10,000 jobs. Despite his assurances that the latest round would only impact low performers, many question the true selection criteria. At the same time, Meta is actively hiring more machine-learning engineers, accelerating its focus on AI development.
“From a hiring standpoint, our focus continues to be on adding technical talent to support our strategic priorities,” said Meta’s Chief Financial Officer Susan Li in a Jan. 29 investor call.
As the dust settles, laid-off employees are left wondering why they were cut despite strong evaluations.
“Maybe I ‘lacked masculine energy’ (to quote Mark Zuckerberg himself),” Curry sarcastically wrote. “Who knows?”
