Meta asks many managers to become “individual contributors” or leave

The people said the current round of job cuts would be more gradual, implemented on an individual basis.

Meta Platforms Inc. is asking several of its managers and directors to transition to individual contributor jobs or leave the company as it tries to become more efficient, according to people familiar with the matter.

The process is known internally as “flattening,” the people said. The people said high-level managers are sharing the instructions with their subordinates in the coming weeks, which is separate from the company’s regular performance reviews, which were not public. Individual contributors are not in charge of others, and instead focus on tasks such as coding, designing, and research.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, laid off 13% of its workforce in November during its first major layoff. In the months since, employees have faced intense anxiety about the prospect of future cutbacks, the people said. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained during the company’s earnings report this month that he still felt the organization was too slow-moving and bloated. He called 2023 the “year of efficiency” and vowed to cut out middle managers and poorly performing projects.

The people said the current round of job cuts would be more gradual, implemented on an individual basis. Some Meta employees said they felt the change was needed because the organization consisted of a handful of teams competing to achieve the same goals and managers who oversee only one or two employees, the people said. Meta declined to comment.

Zuckerberg’s plan for a leaner organization helped the stock price recover from 2022, which was its worst year ever. This is up from 56% so far this year.

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