Meta's layoffs hit Canadian workforce

Canadian employees weren't spared from the layoffs that hit Facebook's parent company Meta, which recently announced it would be laying off 13% of its workforce.

Former Canadian employees took to LinkedIn to reveal their employment status under the tech giant, with one of them being Neil Mohan, former creative partnerships lead. "Sadly, my Canadian Agency Team were part of the 11,000 people cut from Meta today," Mohan said on LinkedIn. "I have no idea what's next but it was a gift of four years I'm grateful for and thanks to so many of you for being a part of it."

Mitchell Steiman, who said he was only at Meta for five months, also revealed he was part of the layoffs. "I was recently notified that I was part of the 13% laid off at Meta this morning," said Steiman, who was the Client Partner - Emerging Disruptors at the tech giant. "I will miss the people and culture there immensely...the opportunities to collaborate, learn and grow were endless, and I'm very grateful for my time there."

Another departing employee is Lauren Michaelov, who was a Canada-based client partner at Meta for three months. "Still have goosebumps as I write this, but unfortunately I was a part of the 13% laid off at Meta this morning," Michaelov said. "I know I had only been with Meta for 3 months, but the entire ride was a dream and a complete whirlwind. … I will miss it all, and thank you for all of the wonderful learnings and moments. I'm incredibly grateful."

Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, said in a message to employees that the layoffs aim to make the company "leaner and more efficient."

"I want to take accountability for these decisions and for how we got here. I know this is tough for everyone, and I'm especially sorry to those impacted," Zuckerberg said. "The teammates who will be leaving us are talented and passionate, and have made an important impact on our company and community. Each of you have helped make Meta a success, and I'm grateful for it. I'm sure you'll go on to do great work at other places."

According to Zuckerberg, laid off employees in US will still receive severance pay, health insurance coverage for the next six months, among others, adding that affected staff outside the US will also receive similar support.

"To those who are staying, I know this is a difficult time for you too. Not only are we saying goodbye to people we've worked closely with, but many of you also feel uncertainty about the future. I want you to know that we're making these decisions to make sure our future is strong," he said.

The Meta CEO also announced that the company will be extending its hiring freeze until the first quarter of 2023. "I'm going to watch our business performance, operational efficiency, and other macroeconomic factors to determine whether and how much we should resume hiring at that point," Zuckerberg said.

The layoffs came less than a year after Meta set up its own engineering hub in Toronto, featuring up to 2,500 remote and in-office jobs.