Another round of massive layoffs expected at Meta this week

Meta, formerly Facebook, is set to issue another round of mass layoffs on Wednesday, according to a Vox report that cites “several sources working at the company.”

The layoffs are part of a broader restructuring at Meta that CEO Mark Zuckerberg has dubbed “the year of efficiency.” In March, Zuckerberg said the company would cut 10,000 jobs in the coming months, especially those related to “low priority projects”. This is on top of the 11,000 jobs lost in November.

The layoffs this week could be in the region of 4,000 jobs, a source told Vox. TechCrunch was unable to confirm the news, but that’s not unexpected. Zuckerberg previously said the April cuts would affect roles in technology departments, while another round of layoffs planned for May would hit the business side.

Some have speculated that many projects and teams within the Facebook app and Reality Labs, the unit dedicated to augmented and virtual reality experiences, will soon see the ax. However, those working on game development might be safe for now, as Meta is scrambling to market its metaverse bet to mainstream gamers, according to a report from Business Insider.

This could be a strategic pivot for Meta and Zuckerberg, who have both promoted the metaverse as a place for social interactions, work, and e-commerce. Meta has poured billions into its Horizon Worlds social virtual reality platform. However, Horizon Worlds hasn’t really taken off, with only around 200,000 monthly active users at the end of last year.