At least one of the “fake work” stories may be true.
One TikToker claims on the platform that as a former employee of Meta, she had to work very hard to – well, find work, by insiders.
“They were like hoarding us, like Pokemon cards,” said Britney Levy in the video. “You had to fight to find work.”
@clearly there #lurch with @roilysm #meta #metalayoffs #technical #techtok #techfired #Business Insider #news #google #work #career #metaseoverheid #fyp #company ♬ original sound – Brit
Meta, like other tech companies, went on a hiring spree during the pandemic as it faced massive demand for its products and services while people were trapped inside.
meta said it had 44,942 employees as of December 31, 2019. At the end of 2021, the company had noted 71,970 employees in its annual report and wrote it “expect[ed] The growth in the workforce will continue for the foreseeable future.”
But after the Federal Reserve hiked rates and consumer habits changed, Meta and similar companies, including Amazon and Google, suffered a hard landing — and layoffs.
Related: More than 1,600 tech workers will be laid off per day on average by 2023, according to a new report
Meta then said 2023 would be a “year of efficiency” after laying off 11,000 people in November. The company announced more layoffs this week that will affect an additional 10,000 people.
At an event earlier this month, Keith Rabois, a general partner at Founders Fund, added to the criticism that Meta was overloaded.
“There’s nothing for these people to do — they’re real — it’s all fake work,” he said.
As an insider Previously reported, after being fired in 2022, Levy refused to sign the termination agreement because she wanted to be able to discuss her experience with the company. (The outlet verified her job status and layoff.)
Levy, 35, was hired through Meta’s “Sourcer Development Program,” which sought to recruit workers from underrepresented backgrounds. Levy, who is Mexican American, said after being hired she had no work to do. She was fired in November in the first round of layoffs.
Related: ‘Fake work’ was ‘exposed’ by layoffs at Google and Meta, former PayPal executive says
“I was basically ready to fail,” she told the outlet.
“We just sat there,” she added in the video. “It seemed like Meta was hiring so other companies couldn’t have us.”
