Meta begins slashing thousands from its workforce

Meta is joining other tech industry giants slimming down their workforces, as it begins a massive round of job cuts that reflect a priority shift towards AI.

In an internal memo sent to employees today (Feb. 10), Meta announced it would begin notifying "low performing" employees singled out for lay offs based on manager reviews and attrition rates of the previous year. The layoffs will affect almost 4,000 Meta workers across the United States, Europe, and Asia — U.S. employees are expected to be hit first.

In January, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the company was planning to lay off more than 5 percent of its workforce based on an anticipated "intense year" for the tech giant, according to a leaked Workplace memo. The leader previously explained that Meta is doubling down on its "year of efficiency" and has been reorganizing the company's divisions to free up resources for its AI and AGI push. According to other internal documents, Meta is fast-tracking hiring for machine learning engineers and recently transferred some of the company's leadership to its generative AI group.

"Mark is creating fear. He's creating a culture where you have to be loyal to him or else," an anonymous Meta worker told Business Insider. "Self-censorship is rampant. At a company supposedly dedicated to connecting people, the human side of our work is disappearing, and everyone is acting more robotic."

Zuckerberg was recently spotted exiting the White House following his public support for President Donald Trump. A few weeks before Trump took office, Meta announced it was axing its in-house DEI policies and changing its Hateful Conduct policy.