Meta to Cut 3,000 Jobs in Major Facebook, Instagram Layoffs

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is set to lay off more than 3,000 employees across Africa, Asia, and Europe starting Monday, 10th February. 

The cuts, representing around five percent of the company’s global workforce, will continue throughout the week, beginning in the Asia-Pacific region, then moving through Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and concluding in North and Latin America.

In an internal memo, Janelle Gale, Meta’s Vice President of Human Resources, acknowledged the difficult situation, stating, “For teams losing a teammate or manager on Monday, I understand this might be a difficult day.” 

Affected employees will be notified through both work and personal email, and their access to company systems will be revoked within an hour. However, they will still qualify for stock vesting on February 15th and any applicable bonuses.

The memo also highlighted that while Meta won’t publicly share details of the individuals affected, some roles could be refilled.

Gale confirmed that employees cannot apply for internal positions during their non-working notice period but may do so after their final employment date.

RELATED: Microsoft to Cut Jobs as Big Tech Layoffs Continue

Meta follows a hybrid work model requiring employees to be in the office three days a week, but Gale noted that for those impacted, working remotely on Monday will still count as in-person time. The layoffs will spare employees in some European countries—specifically Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands—due to local employment regulations.

“Past performance will be considered while making a hiring decision,” Gale said, highlighting the significance of recent performance reviews in determining who would be let go.

The Meta layoff 2025 follows Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement in January to “raise the bar on performance management” and promptly “move out low performers.” 

Meta usually phases out underperforming employees over a year, but this round involves immediate cuts, signalling a shift toward quicker actions from performance reviews.

Meta previously laid off 21,000 employees between 2022 and 2023 as part of its restructuring. As the company streamlines its operations, it continues to prioritise the hiring of machine learning engineers to support its future growth.