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Meta, the tech giant led by Mark Zuckerberg, is under fire after laying off 3,600 employees (5% of its workforce) across the US, Europe, and Asia. While the company claims these cuts target underperforming staff, several employees allege they were punished for taking leaves, which shockingly includes maternity leaves as well.
The allegations came to light following a LinkedIn post by Elana Reman Safner, a Meta Product Counsel who was fired in these layoffs. In the post, she detailed that many employees who were fired had recently taken leaves and were likely ‘targeted’.
The Layoffs and Backlash
In an internal memo, Meta called the layoffs “performance-based.” However, affected workers like Safner refuted it and claimed them to be specifically targeted, adding that many terminated colleagues shared similar stories of good performance and recent leaves.
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Employees Cry Foul
Safner accused Meta of making her “collateral damage” to Zuckerberg’s push for “masculine energy”, a remark he made in a recent podcast. Meanwhile, others who were laid off echoed her claims, noting the timing of layoffs after medical or parental leaves.
“It’s hard to believe I didn’t do enough,” Safner wrote, citing prorated expectations during her leave.
Leadership Controversy and DEI Cuts
Zuckerberg’s “masculine energy” comment has drawn criticism amid the layoffs. The cuts follow Meta’s decision to scrap its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program after Donald Trump’s election, a move critics link to a corporate shift toward “efficiency” over social initiatives.
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Cost-cutting to blame?
While Safner expressed gratitude for her team, she slammed Meta’s “mental overload,” abrupt product changes, and leadership priorities. As employee backlash grows, Meta faces scrutiny over whether performance metrics or cost-cutting drove the layoffs.
