--- title: "Mark Zuckerberg Confronted by Staff Over Mass Firings and Bonuses for Execs" description: "Those who survived Meta's mass firings earlier this month have a bone to pick with CEO Mark Zuckerberg as further cuts loom large." date: "2023-04-25" modified: "2023-04-25" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/zuckerberg-confronted-staff-layoffs" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "facebook" - "mark zuckerberg" - "metaverse" - "the digest" --- # Mark Zuckerberg Confronted by Staff Over Mass Firings and Bonuses for Execs ![Those who survived Meta's mass firings earlier this month have a bone to pick with CEO Mark Zuckerberg as further cuts loom large.]() *WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 17: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies remotely during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled, "Breaking the News: Censorship, Suppression, and the 2020 Election" on Capitol Hill on November 17, 2020 in Washington, DC. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is also scheduled to testify remotely. (Photo by Hannah McKay-Pool/Getty Images) \Image: Getty Images\* ## Red Wedding Those who survived Facebook/Meta's mass firings earlier this month have a bone to pick with CEO Mark Zuckerberg as the threat of further cuts looms large. As [*Insider* reports](), Zuckerberg fielded questions from aggravated employees about the [most recent round of layoffs]() that occurred last week while he was at home on parental leave following the [birth of his third child](). People who were on the call told the site that the [Metamate]()-in-chief confirmed the company had let go of 4,000 people total this month — a figure which includes 20 percent of managers, who were either terminated completely or moved to [non-management positions](). These Q&A town halls, the report notes, revolve around pre-submitted employee questions that are upvoted by staff, and the majority of the queries during this one centered on questions about further cuts — which Zuckerberg did not rule out — and on why senior management were given even bigger bonuses than usual last year amid the company's [massive November layoff round](). ## Half Baked To that last question, Zuckerberg responded that multiple senior executives who'd been at the company for a decade or more "received good ratings because they stepped into new roles that they haven't held before and that they've taken on expanded scopes," someone familiar with the CEO's remarks told *Insider*. He reportedly added that there was a "baked-in" reduction in bonuses due to the company's [historically-low stock]() and [revenue performance]() last year, but some of the staffers that the website spoke to said those remarks seemed "patronizing" and "shallow." "Employees change roles all of the time with expanded scope and they don't automatically exceed expectations," the same individual told *Insider* on condition of anonymity. "We are supposed to be outcome-focused." Overall, Zuckerberg reportedly was said to blame himself for the company's downturn several times — though he did not appear to have named the problem, which [analysts](), [investors](), and even Meta's own [ex-virtual reality head]() believe lies with his dogged and uber-expensive attempt to build out his capital-M Metaverse. "We're in a different world now," the CEO said, per several people who were on the call. **More on Meta:** [*It Sounds Like Facebook Is Completely Falling Apart*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()