‘Stuffed bags with snacks and chargers’: Ex-employee describes Meta’s ‘doomsday’ layoff atmosphere

Meta is once again under scrutiny as reports emerge of heightened anxiety inside the company ahead of large-scale job cuts expected around May 20.

A former employee, Adel Wu, shared on social media that the atmosphere inside Meta during previous layoff cycles felt like a “doomsday scenario,” where uncertainty pushed staff into unusual behaviour, including packing free office items such as snacks, drinks and phone chargers.

Wu said she had witnessed multiple rounds of layoffs during her time at the company and described the environment as increasingly tense with each cycle. She added that the upcoming job cuts have left remaining employees deeply anxious about their future.

Rising fear ahead of fresh job cuts

Meta is expected to cut around 8,000 jobs in its latest restructuring move, adding to earlier large-scale layoffs that began in 2022, when the company eliminated more than 11,000 roles.

Those earlier layoffs marked the first major workforce reduction in Meta’s history and were linked to heavy spending on the metaverse project, followed by broader cost-cutting and restructuring across Big Tech.

Employees and former staff have described a recurring pattern of stress ahead of layoff announcements, with some recalling sleepless nights and constant monitoring of emails for confirmation.

Comments from former workers highlight a broader sense of instability in the tech industry, where repeated layoffs have eroded morale and increased job insecurity.

The latest reports reflect a broader trend across Silicon Valley, where companies continue to cut jobs while shifting investments toward artificial intelligence and automation.

Workers have described the environment as unpredictable, with multiple rounds of restructuring creating long-term uncertainty even among those who remain employed.

As Meta prepares for another major round of layoffs, accounts from former employees highlight the emotional strain inside Big Tech workplaces, where job security fears have become increasingly common amid ongoing corporate restructuring.