The most recent round of layoffs at Meta, which affected 3,600 workers worldwide, also affected employees in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Meta announced global workforce terminations, with Germany, France, Italy, and Netherlands exempted. Meanwhile, affected employees in Africa, Asia, and Europe are receiving notices between February 11-18, 2025.
The losses were minimised by a Meta representative for sub-Saharan Africa, who said they were a part of the company’s regular performance-based layoffs. Meta refused to say how many African employees were impacted.
”After our most recent cycle of performance reviews, we have made it clear that we intend to fire our lowest-performing staff,” the official was reported to have said. “We have the utmost faith in the impartiality and strength of our performance review procedure that led to these decisions, and affected employees are receiving substantial severance benefits.”
The severance package for affected employees includes 16 weeks of base pay, two additional weeks per year, full paid time off, six months of healthcare, three months of career support, and immigration assistance.
Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has declared 2024 the “year of efficiency,” aiming to streamline operations and reduce costs in non-priority areas by implementing AI-driven strategies.
Meta plans to allocate $60-65 billion in 2025 for capital expenditures, primarily towards AI infrastructure, data centers, and specialized chips, reflecting a broader tech industry trend of over $300 billion.
Meta is implementing terminations for low-scoring employees, causing uncertainty for affected employees in Nigeria and Africa amid the tech industry’s rapid transformation.
