MENLO PARK, Nigeria – Meta has fired around two dozen employees from its Los Angeles office for misusing company meal credits, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The employees reportedly used the meal vouchers, intended for food deliveries during long working hours, to purchase laundry detergent, wine glasses, and acne treatment pads, among other non-food items.
The firings, first reported by the Financial Times, come as Meta faces increased scrutiny over its perks and compensation packages.
Meta’s corporate offices are known for offering elaborate food services, with some locations, such as its New York office near Penn Station, providing upscale cafeteria options free to staff.
However, at smaller offices without such amenities, employees are given meal vouchers of $20 for breakfast and $25 each for lunch and dinner.
An internal investigation revealed that some Los Angeles-based employees had violated company policy by using these meal credits for non-food items or having meals delivered to their homes instead of the office.
The vouchers are intended strictly for meals consumed while working on-site.
Meta, whose median total annual compensation for employees other than CEO Mark Zuckerberg is $379,050, declined to comment on the details of the firings.
However, the tech giant acknowledged on Thursday that it was conducting layoffs across the company as part of ongoing restructurings aimed at aligning resources with its long-term strategic goals.
“Today, a few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy,” said Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton in a statement.
“This includes moving some teams to different locations and moving some employees to different roles. In situations like this when a role is eliminated, we work hard to find other opportunities for impacted employees.”
Meta did not specify how many employees were laid off in these broader cuts, which impacted teams across Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Reality Labs, the division overseeing Meta’s virtual reality and metaverse initiatives.
Among those affected was Jane Manchun Wong, a prominent security researcher known for predicting new social media features before her employment at Meta.
Wong joined Meta in June 2023 to work on the Instagram and Threads team but was let go as part of the restructuring.
This latest round of layoffs follows Meta’s decision to cut more than 20,000 employees last year, as the company sought to address declining revenues and stagnating user growth.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg referred to 2023 as Meta’s “year of efficiency,” aiming to streamline operations and refocus the company’s efforts on key growth areas.
Meta’s stock (META) has rebounded significantly, rising nearly 80% over the past year.
