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Meta tells staff it will cut 10% of jobs

bloomberg.com

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Re: Meta tells staff it will cut 10% of jobs

#731

Post by senordevnyc »

gtowey wrote: post #83
nh23423fefe wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When is it ok to lay people off?

Laying off 10% of your workforce at a company this size means someone high up has been making some pretty significant mistakes. So the answer is, when an executive is held accountable for disrupting this many people's lives. When they claw back bonuses they have probably received for hitting or setting those previous hiring targets.

Laying off 10% of your workforce at a company this size means someone high up has been making some pretty significant mistakes.

Why must a mistake have been made, as opposed to just changes in the market? Doesn't this presuppose that people are entitled to keep their job as long as they want to, and if the company no longer needs them, it's a violation of that right?

And even if it's because the leaders of the company misjudged something, I'm unclear how that means that employees who were laid off have had some great injustice visited upon them.

I got laid off from Block a little over a year ago, and I wasn't salty about it at all. They paid me millions of dollars over the years I was there, they gave me great severance, and I don't view myself as entitled to be able to sell my labor to them, just as I don't view them as being entitled to buy my labor. I wouldn't have felt bad ending my employment if it was best for me, why should they feel bad for doing the same?

Re: Meta tells staff it will cut 10% of jobs

#732

Post by pipes »

altmanaltman wrote: post #440
pipes wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The raising interest rates right now makes no sense to me. Energy prices and layoffs will kill spending power. I think the central banks will overcompensate because they got inflation so wrong the last time.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "central banks got inflation so wrong the last time"? You mean Covid or 2008?

Covid. The ex head of the bank of England said as much.

Re: Meta tells staff it will cut 10% of jobs

#733

Post by canes123456 »

nobleach wrote: post #21
shmatt wrote: post #11

if you've ever been through a Meta loop (and their method is to cast an extremely wide net, so chances are you have), you've seen how inefficient their loop can be for long term success 6-7 38* minute interviews, while the interviewee is trying to squeeze in showcasing their skills and experience, the interviewer is obsessed with figuring out a rigid set of pre-determined "signals" Once these candidates actually star…

That wasn't my experience at all. I had a recruiter screen where she asked me some technical questions. I then had a longer discussion, then a code screen, then an arch-deep-dive. The entire process was very professional and EVERY person came off like they really wanted me to succeed. (Sure it's an act but it's a very helpful act when you're in the hot seat) My intervews were in 20202/2021. Perhaps things have change…

It was my experience as well in Dec 2025

Re: Meta tells staff it will cut 10% of jobs

#734

Post by postexitus »

canes123456 wrote: post #729
postexitus wrote: post #613

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are wrong. Google makes ~73% of its revenue from ads compared to 98% in Meta.

Makes money, implies profit and not revenue

We have revenue breakdown. Where is the profit breakdown?

Re: Meta tells staff it will cut 10% of jobs

#735

Post by malfist »

coredog64 wrote: post #699
malfist wrote: post #643

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many hall passes do CEOs get for pandemic over hiring? Its been four years, and four years of layoffs and hiring to go back to layoffs. Pandemic over hiring might explain the first layoff or two a year or so later, but not the tenth or so layoff nearly half a decade later.

It's the principal/agent problem: The overhiring is incredibly difficult to unwind because it led to the creation of empires. Everyone who is not a founder has more incentive to keep the empire because it props up their comp.

How?

In 2022, Meta laid off 11,000 (13%)

In 2023, Meta did two layoffs, one of 10,000 (another 13.6%), one of 600

In 2024, Meta did a layoff (layoffs.fyi doesn't list the number)

In 2025, Meta did three layoffs, one of 3,600 (5%), 100 and 600 people

In 2026, Meta has done two layoffs, one of 200, and one of 8,000 (10%).

If you can't correct overhiring in 4 years as a CEO, you've failed. If you repeatedly have to do >10% layoffs every year for 4 years you've failed (if it's to correct for a one time hiring spree).

Meta's employment didn't skyrocket during the pandemic making this argument even more bullshit. Between 2012 and 2018 Meta averaged an employee count growth of 40% YoY. In 2020, they grew by 31%, 2021 22% and 20% in 2022. Meta slowed their growth during the pandemic.

This "pandemic overhiring" is bullshit.

Re: Meta tells staff it will cut 10% of jobs

#736

Post by postexitus »

b_t_s wrote: post #678
subpixel wrote: post #637

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you consider Marketplace its own product it’s a massive win but they haven’t monetized it beyond some very ineffective post boosting and advertising. I honestly think they could charge 10% of list price for items over $50, plus membership levels that reduce or remove listing fees. and make a significant amount of money.

true. It's like the the only reason I open FB anymore....craigslist that isn't a PITA.

Oddly enough - facebook groups are not terrible for very niche hobbies. Not sure what makes them attractive, but the groups are there. Thinking about it - there is really no alternative. My Retro Computing group is there, car owners group is there, very niche metal bands' posters group is there.

Re: Meta tells staff it will cut 10% of jobs

#737

Post by postexitus »

sph wrote: post #712
postexitus wrote: post #608

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Name one product that Meta created over the last 10 years that mattered - beyond adtech. They can fire everyone in every team and just retain ads (tech and sales) - and some minimal setup for instagram and whatsapp and facebook and their revenue will not take a dent. So, yes, they overhired.

Oculus? Not created, but if you buy a VR headset, Meta Oculus is one of the top choices.

True - although let's call it what it is now: it's a flop. They are going to wind Oculus down or sell it- it's going to happen before 2030.

Re: Meta tells staff it will cut 10% of jobs

#738

Post by postexitus »

kilroy123 wrote: post #711
postexitus wrote: post #608

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Name one product that Meta created over the last 10 years that mattered - beyond adtech. They can fire everyone in every team and just retain ads (tech and sales) - and some minimal setup for instagram and whatsapp and facebook and their revenue will not take a dent. So, yes, they overhired.

I would say the Quest 2 and 3

It is a flop - very likely to be cut in the next 5 years.

Re: Meta tells staff it will cut 10% of jobs

#740

Post by wjeje »

hyperhello wrote: post #456
wjeje wrote: post #426

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let’s go another step further! The continual success of fb and instagram has not come from zuck but through glorified A/B testing on steroids whilst lighting employee’s asses on fire each quarter to move the metrics. Visionary genius? My ass. Only Steve Jobs proved he is worthy of that title. Bro is a fraud. He always was - remember he stole the idea for fb. Thankfully he’s getting found out.

Did he really steal the idea? I thought the idea was just a message board for Harvard students. That isn’t novel.

If he didn’t steal anything why did winklevoss and another person at Harvard involved in the original project get a pay off…?

Do we really need to discuss this? He tried to screw another founder - the Brazilian - who got a pay off and now has a reported net worth in the billions.

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