Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is gearing up to reduce its global workforce by around 5%, as the company aims to let go of "low performers faster."
In a staff memo, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that he had opted to hasten the company's routine performance-based layoffs in anticipation of a "demanding year."
He mentioned that the firm plans to "backfill" the roles later in 2025.
The company, with roughly 72,000 employees worldwide, did not specify how the layoffs would be spread globally.
Affected workers in the US will be notified by February 10, as per Zuckerberg's memo. Those outside the US will be informed at a "later" time.
"It's going to be a demanding year, and I want to ensure we have the best caliber of people in our teams," he stated.
"I've chosen to enhance the standards for performance evaluation and accelerate the exit of underperforming employees."
This move comes following other significant decisions by Zuckerberg, such as ending the company's fact-checking and diversity programs.
Performance-based layoffs are a regular practice in corporate America. While at Meta, these usually span over a year, Zuckerberg noted that the process is being expedited this year.
Approximately 3,600 individuals could be impacted by this decision. They are promised to receive "generous severance."
Zuckerberg also seems to be revamping his public persona.
In a recent podcast with Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg discussed the need for more "masculine energy" in companies and mentioned his interest in martial arts as a means of self-expression, contrasting with his corporate persona.
"When you're leading a company, people usually don't want to see you as this cutthroat individual who's only focused on crushing the competition," he explained. "But in a fight, it's different."
"Some people might perceive the 'real Mark' when they see me competing in sports," he added.