Mark Zuckerberg Tells Employees — 'Self-selection Is OK With Me,' Wants Those Who 'Shouldn't Be' At Meta To Leave

Originally published on July 10, 2022.

Facebook-turned-Meta Platforms Inc META CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees in late-June that the company plans to reduce its hiring target for engineers from 10,000, to between 6,000-7,000 amid the market downturn.

"If I had to bet, I'd say that this might be one of the worst downturns that we've seen in recent history," Zuckerberg told Meta staff members in a weekly employee Q&A session.

"Realistically, there are probably a bunch of people at the company who shouldn't be here," Zuckerberg said, according to multiple reports.

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The tech leader intends to eliminate employees who fall short of higher requirements by "turning up the heat" on performance management goals in addition to lowering hiring targets.

"Part of my hope by raising expectations and having more aggressive goals, and just kind of turning up the heat a little bit, is that I think some of you might decide that this place isn't for you, and that self-selection is OK with me," he said.

The company must "prioritize more ruthlessly" and "run smaller, meaner, better executing teams," Chief Product Officer Chris Cox wrote in a note to the Meta staff, highlighting the challenging times the company is facing.

Photo: Courtesy of Anthony Quintano on Flickr