Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) CEO Mark Zuckerberg cut more engineers and tech workers on Wednesday to make 2023 a “year of efficiency.”
Meta was the first Big Tech business to disclose a second round of huge layoffs in March, affecting 10,000 employees in three main groups over several months.
Meta employees were frustrated by Wednesday’s projected downsizing. Layoffs topped Wednesday’s internal business forum inquiries ahead of a staff town hall.
“You’ve broken many high-performing, intense workers’ morale and leadership confidence.” Why Meta?” read Reuters’ query.
Last year, Zuckerberg urged Facebook and Instagram employees to work more ” intensely” to overcome commercial issues.
Meta’s first round of layoffs in the fall affected almost 11,000 employees, 13% of its workforce. It preceded other major internet companies’ thousands of layoffs after a pandemic-driven surge in digital advertising and cloud computing.
Meta is also “flattening” middle management and shelving low-priority projects.
Investors rewarded downsizing.
Meta shares have risen 80% this year, reversing a 64% slump in 2022 and surpassing the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite’s (.IXIC) 16% advance.
On April 26, the company will report its first-quarter results, benefiting from a slight digital advertising industry uptick and regulatory pressure on TikTok.