Meta lays off employees at Instagram, WhatsApp and more

Meta's recent layoff spell is likely to be aimed at realignment of specific teams at Meta
An undated image of Meta apps. — DepositPhotos
An undated image of Meta apps. — DepositPhotos

Meta has started laying off its employees across its various platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp as well as Reality Labs, as reported by a publication.

Citing Meta's spokesperson Dave Arnold, The Verge reported that the company is making changes to ensure resources are aligned with its long-term goals and location strategy.

“This includes moving some teams to different locations and moving some employees to different roles. In situations like this when a role is eliminated, we work hard to find other opportunities for impacted employees,” said the spokesperson. 

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Meta lays off employees from WhatsApp, Threads, Instagram

While the number of employees laid off is unknown, several Meta employees posted on social media sites that they have been laid off.

Among these, there is Jane Manchun Wong who gained notoriety for reporting an unannounced feature coming to one of the apps before joining Threads team in 2023.

Additionally, over a dozen team members were laid off on Wednesday via video calls, some of them receiving six weeks of severance pay.

Instead of a large-scale company layoff, these smaller cuts are likely to be a decision aimed at the realignment of specific teams at Meta.

Earlier this year, Meta did a small series of job cuts in the company’s Reality Labs division in which it laid off 11,000 employees in 2022 and cuts of 10,000 more people in 2023.