Facebook’s recent layoffs have reportedly left remaining staff in a state of confusion and anxiety, with some even resorting to inventing their own tasks to seem busy or avoiding work altogether for fear of falling prey to Mark Zuckerberg’s dreaded “year of efficiency.”
Business Insider reports that the recent layoffs at Facebook (now known as Meta) have caused a wave of confusion and tension among the remaining employees, with some reportedly making up their own tasks or skipping work because of unclear instructions.
Mark Zuckerberg martial arts tourney (Facebook)
On Wednesday, the latest round of layoffs at Facebook began with 21,000 workers expected to be affected. Despite CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s declaration of a “Year of Efficiency,” this decision has left a void of clarity among the remaining staff.
The current layoffs represent the third and supposedly final phase of the company’s most recent downsizing initiative. The tech and recruiting divisions have already laid off over 4,000 workers, and the business division is expected to lay off an additional 5,000 workers. This comes after a previous round of layoffs in November that led to the dismissal of 11,000 workers, or 13 percent of the company’s entire workforce.
“We’re restructuring teams to increase our efficiency,” stated Zuckerberg, addressing the layoffs. However, reports suggest that Facebook’s employees are left in a state of uncertainty, unsure of their collaboration partners and the process of reassigning responsibilities.
Zuckerberg revealed the business divisions that would experience layoffs weeks prior. Employees reportedly felt anxious and uninspired after this announcement. They have resorted to creating their own tasks or forgoing work altogether in the absence of a clear directive.
The layoffs have also caused a pause in some essential planning and work. According to reports, Facebook is still deciding on its product roadmap for this year as it reallocates resources in the wake of the layoffs.
Venture capitalist Keith Rabois blasted Facebook for hiring too many people and claimed that its staff were doing “fake work.” The business has also come under fire after it was revealed that executives had received bonuses totaling up to $940,000 during a turbulent year for the business.
Read more at Business Insider here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan