"Surely you can't be serious."
Posted on 05/20/2026 3:12:22 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
She was “praying to Poseidon” that she’d get laid off.
But on Wednesday morning, as thousands of her Meta colleagues found out they’d lost their jobs, the app designer was disappointed to find she still had hers. She’s now one of just two survivors on her team, left behind to navigate Meta’s shift to AI.
“Thinking about what the company will be like after the layoffs depresses me more than thinking about getting laid off,” she said, asking for anonymity. “Nobody wants to stick around for that.”
Hundreds of Meta employees in the Bay Area woke up early Wednesday to find out if they were part of the AI-inspired restructuring. They’d been expecting the news for months. The cuts were first reported in (opens in new tab)March (opens in new tab) by Reuters, and the Menlo Park-based company told staff directly Monday that it planned to lay off 10% of its global workforce.
Employees were instructed to work from home Wednesday to receive the news, which came via email starting at 4 a.m. PT.
In an internal post Monday, the company said restructuring will allow Meta to focus on new AI-focused teams that it described as “important to our future success.” In addition to the layoffs, it plans to reassign 7,000 staffers to teams working on AI products, while “many leaders will announce org changes, including some reorgs that align more with AI native design principles.”
“We believe this will make us more productive and make the work more rewarding,” said the post, which was seen by The Standard.
The news had the opposite effect on many workers. Meta employees told The Standard ahead of the layoffs that the prospect of the cuts, the largest in the company’s history, left them reeling. Many were so distracted they’d barely been able to work.
“I am anxious and frustrated,” said one employee who was hired only two months ago but felt certain Tuesday that their job was not safe. “Leadership has made it clear everyone is at risk,” the employee said.
That person did not lose their job and wasn’t sure how to feel about it. The employee’s internal “org,” which had a workforce of around 300, lost 10%.
This employee was relieved, especially given that they are new. But many others had been looking forward to getting laid off.
“I am hoping for it. I never intended to stay in tech this long, but the golden handcuffs thing is real,” said the employee who prayed to Poseidon on the eve of the layoffs. “I’d happily take the severance and go do anything else with my life.”
She said many of her coworkers who had saved up were, like her, viewing the layoffs as a lifeline to escape a job that had long since become a burden too good to give up. They spent the past week updating résumés, drinking together, and planning trips for this weekend — one spent a few days getting stoned at a nudist hang outside of the city.
“The returns of working in Big Tech have diminished significantly in recent years, probably more so at Meta than anywhere else,” said the employee. “It’s become increasingly difficult to ignore or rationalize the negative impact these companies and their executives have on our world.”
One Bay Area-based Meta manager, who spoke to The Standard ahead of the layoffs, found out Wednesday that they were let go. The initial reaction? Massive relief, followed by “a heavy dose of financial anxiety.” As the sole breadwinner for their family, they felt the clock begin to tick, despite the generous severance they can expect.
That person is in good company. Many Meta workers who describe hating their job, and wishing they could leave, are the primary earners for their families or are worried about visas. For these reasons, they were not exactly looking forward to a layoff. That doesn’t mean they aren’t dreading what comes next.
Will we be seeing dozens of videos on “Here’s My Typical Day Since Being Laid Off From Meta” ?
Praying to Poseidon? God of the Sea?
Hope springs eternal;
“There’s got to be a morning after!”
I was in IT in the Army for about four years. I learned a lot.
Mainly I learned that I didn’t want to work in IT, LOL!
Then, there are sharks.
Now I’m thinking of Shelly Winters DYING to save others on the ship. *SNIF* ;)
One spent a few days getting stoned at a nudist colony outside of the city
and wasted the rest of the week.
"Surely you can't be serious."
Lear to mine coal.
I would think the very first thing anyone could possibly be thinking about when notified of losing their job is a nudist colony. Duh... just makes sense.
“planned to lay off 10% of its global workforce”
I believe that’s the Jack Welch way to motivate the remaining 90%.
Fred Sadoff did serious sometimes on The Streets Of San Francisco.
They really should be happy.
Zuckerpunk was a one trick pony.
He didn’t really have any business ideas except his sophomoric obsession with getting people to reveal everything about themselves to him so he could exploit that.
Since social media continues to morph he really can’t keep up - he doesn’t actually have any imagination.
“Meta” was a boring, obvious attempt at VR that even Palmer Luckey couldn’t make happen on a large scale, and Palmer is way smarter then Marky Mark.
Fakebook will be around for a while longer; lots of people don’t want to transition to something else. But the kids have moved on, and businesses don’t need a pre-cooked platform now to market on the internet: that was not the case in 2004.
They’ll flail for a ahwile trying to stay relevant, but the ship is already taking on water and the captain is in his stateroom puzzling about what to do, what to do...
LMAO. Sure does live right.
Or... install a new roof on a house! Tar a road in 100 degree heat! Clean out a grease trap! Set crab and lobster baits!
Be a Police Officer or a Fireman! ER Staff! Set Explosives! Become an Underwater Welder! Be a Lumberjack! Drive the Ice Road! Install and/or repair Power Lines! Work on an oil rig out at sea!
Rodeo Clown! LOL! (They’ve got the ‘Clown’ part down...)
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