Meta Fires 4,000 Workers—Some Say They Had No Warning

Meta’s latest round of job cuts affected nearly 4,000 employees, with the company claiming the layoffs targeted its lowest-performing workers.

However, several employees have come forward, stating they received positive performance ratings before being let go, raising questions about Meta’s internal review process.

Performance Downgrades Before Layoffs

According to Business Insider, multiple laid-off employees claimed they had previously received “At or Above Expectations” ratings—Meta’s mid-tier performance grade—in their mid-2024 reviews.

However, when the year-end evaluations were finalized, they were unexpectedly downgraded to “Meets Most”, a lower rating that made them eligible for termination.

Meta had internally instructed managers to cut 5% of the lowest-performing workforce, but leaked internal guidance revealed that managers were also allowed to include higher-rated employees if they couldn’t meet the reduction targets from the lowest tier alone.

Employees Were Blindsided

Many employees said they were caught off guard by the layoffs. Some claimed they had no prior warning from their managers, despite Meta leadership assuring staff that only underperforming employees—who had received feedback—would be affected.

“My manager told me I was doing great and gave me no indication my job was at risk,” one laid-off worker told BI.

Others were shocked to see their ratings suddenly drop, making them eligible for layoffs.

“We weren’t even allowed to see the feedback our managers wrote for us,” another employee said.

In some cases, employees who had taken parental leave or had strong multi-year performance records were also impacted.

Meta’s Push for AI Talent

The job cuts align with Meta’s strategy to streamline its workforce as the company focuses on AI and virtual reality. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been aggressively hiring machine learning engineers, which may explain why some employees in other roles were let go.

While the layoffs were framed as necessary performance-based reductions, many affected workers feel misrepresented. Some are now concerned that being labeled as “low performers” could harm their future job prospects.

“Meta is publicly saying they’re cutting low performers, but that’s not the truth,” one former employee said.

As layoffs at big tech companies continue, questions remain about how performance reviews are being used—and whether corporate cost-cutting is disguising itself as performance-based restructuring.