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'Learning from the best': Mark Zuckerberg trolled for firing 11k workers after Elon Musk downsized Twitter

Facebook parent company Meta announced significant layoffs, eliminating 11,000 jobs, or nearly 13% of its workforce

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Facebook parent company Meta announced significant layoffs on Wednesday, November 9, eliminating 11,000 jobs, or nearly 13% of its workforce. The company overhired during the pandemic, thinking the ultra-rapid growth would continue, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who called the layoffs "some of the most difficult changes we've made in Meta's history."

Zuckerberg wrote in a message to employees, "Not only has online commerce returned to prior trends, but the macroeconomic downturn, increased competition, and ads signal loss have caused our revenue to be much lower than I'd expected. I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that." Meanwhile, the layoffs at Meta occur at a time when Twitter's turmoil is the main topic of discussion in Silicon Valley and as expected, users on social media wondered if Zuckerberg was taking his inspiration from new Twitter boss Elon Musk. 

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One user wrote on Twitter, “You think it’s a coincidence that @Meta fired employees in the same week as @twitter did? No. The Zuck is just learning from the best - @elonmusk”.

Another wrote, “Zuckerberg fired 11,000 people at Facebook owner Meta. Elon Musk is in the process of laying off 3,500 employees. Why are there no uproars for Mark Zuckerberg's decisions?” “Well, Meta Company has fired about 11,000 of its people. Twitter has fired a lot of people. Think about it once. Congrats 🤣🎉💥” another user added.

"So Mark Zuckerberg fires 11.000 but Elon Musk is the incompetent evil man? 🤡 " yet another user remarked.

During the pandemic, Meta, like many other tech companies, went on a hiring spree. To accommodate the rising demand from individuals stuck at home, it hired tens of thousands of new workers. However, the business received a shock from worries about a potential recession, inflation, and the war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the 11,000 Meta employees who will lose their employment will receive 16 weeks of severance compensation and six months of health insurance, according to Zuckerberg. 

He noted that laid-off visa holders will be given resources to help with changes in immigration status. Recently, Meta, which employs over 87,000 people, implemented cost-cutting measures like hiring freezes and minimizing unnecessary travel. In a memo to staff members, Zuckerberg indicated that Meta would continue to freeze hiring and reduce its real estate spending, among other cost-cutting measures to be revealed in the upcoming months.