Meta cuts ‘low-performers’ to make way for ‘strongest talent’ in AI race

USA: Meta Platforms started notifying “low-performers”, who are being let go, on Monday (Feb 10) as it looks for the “strongest talent”  to stay ahead in the artificial intelligence (AI) race, Bloomberg reported.

Employees who were let go received notifications by email. According to anonymous sources familiar with the matter, US-based employees affected by the job cuts were offered severance packages that include 16 weeks of salary plus two additional weeks for each year of service.

Sources added that those who qualified for bonuses will still receive them, and stock awards will be issued as part of the upcoming vesting cycle later this month.

According to a Bloomberg report in mid-January, Meta’s chief executive officer, Mark Zuckerberg, had already notified staff that up to 3,600 employees who were “not meeting expectations”—around 5 per cent of the company’s workforce—would be let go.

He said last month that US staff would be notified of the job cuts on Feb 10. He also told managers in a separate message that the cuts would allow the company to hire the “strongest talent”.

Meta has been cutting jobs regularly in recent years. It let go of thousands of employees in 2022 and 2023 to improve efficiency. The latest round of job cuts is set to finish by the end of the performance cycle in February, as it moves to compete with OpenAI and DeepSeek in the AI race.

Mr Zuckerberg said in late January that Meta expects to invest hundreds of billions of US dollars in AI infrastructure. The company is integrating AI across its apps and business units, including Facebook, Instagram, and virtual reality glasses. /TISG

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