Tech giant Meta Platforms is set to initiate company-wide layoffs next week, even as it accelerates the hiring of machine learning engineers, according to internal memos seen by Reuters.
The layoffs, expected to impact around 5% of the company’s workforce, will begin Monday at 5 a.m. local time in most affected regions, including the United States. Employees in Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands will be exempt due to local labor laws, while notifications for other countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa will be issued between February 11 and February 18.
Meta’s Shift in Workforce Strategy
Janelle Gale, Meta’s Head of People, referred to the terminations as “performance-based cuts” in an internal memo, emphasizing that the company was trimming its lowest-performing employees. Unlike previous large-scale layoffs, Meta has decided to keep its offices open on Monday and will not release any additional public updates regarding the decision.
Prioritising AI Talent
Despite the layoffs, Meta is expediting the hiring of machine learning engineers and other critical engineering roles. Peng Fan, the company’s VP of Engineering for Monetisation, informed employees that the hiring process would take place between February 11 and March 13.
“Thank you for your continued support in helping us achieve our accelerated hiring goals and better align with our company’s priorities for 2025,” Fan stated.
Ongoing Workforce Restructuring
Meta confirmed last month that it would be cutting low-performing employees while backfilling some positions. The company has been reshaping its workforce, focusing heavily on artificial intelligence and monetisation strategies to remain competitive in the evolving tech landscape.
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on the latest developments.
