A rather singular story comes from Los Angeles involving Meta, Mark Zuckerberg's holding company, known for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. According to the Financial Times, 24 employees were fired for abused their food stamps to buy personal care and household items, such as toothpaste, laundry detergent and wine glasses. The social media giant has not commented publicly.
To better understand the context, it is important to note that Meta offers generous benefits to its employees: at its Palo Alto headquarters, meals are free and available at all hours. However, for those who work in smaller locations, the company provides daily vouchers of $20 for breakfast, $25 for lunch and $25 for dinner. These vouchers are for use exclusively atfood purchases during working days and can be used both to order meals via delivery apps and in supermarkets. Any other use is considered improper.
Meta fires 24 employees for misuse of meal vouchers: here's what happened
Last week, Meta Human Resources initiated asurvey after an employee shared on “Blind,” an anonymous messaging app, that he “didn’t want to waste” meal vouchers, even when, for example, “that evening my husband is cooking or I’m going to dinner with friends.” When questioned during the investigation, the worker admitted the violation and was consequently fired. During the investigation, information emerged different others almost of misuse of vouchers. Some employees had food delivered to their homes, even though the vouchers were intended for the office only, while others used them to buy household items.
According to the Ft, employees who had violated the rules only occasionally received a recall, but were able to keep their jobs. However, for 24 workers, layoffs were unavoidable, sparking quite a bit of controversy; some critics argue that the focus on food stamps could be an excuse to justify the cuts to the staff.
New Wave of Layoffs for Instagram, WhatsApp and Reality Labs
The news comes at a delicate time for Meta, who is preparing for a new wave of layoffs and corporate reorganizations. According to what was reported by the Verge, the social networking giant is reportedly making significant staffing changes across several divisions, including Instagram, WhatsApp e Reality Labs. A Meta spokesperson explained that these changes are to align with long-term strategic goals and include moving teams to different locations and changing roles for some employees.
Currently, there is no precise data on the total number of cuts, but rumors speak of a limited figure. In 2022, Zuckerberg had already fired about 11 thousand people, corresponding to 13% of employees, and in 2023 he announced a further 10 thousand cuts, closing 5 thousand open positions. The recent restructuring therefore seems to be part of a broader picture, in which the CEO has defined 2023 as the "year of efficiency".
Although the bet on the metaverse has not yet borne the hoped-for fruits, the actions Meta's revenue has grown more than 60% in the past year, thanks to strong results in digital advertising. The multinational is now focusing its efforts on mixed reality, devices such as smart glasses, and artificial intelligence.
