As part of a new wave of job cuts, the Meta Group has parted with almost all of its teams dedicated to tracking down fake news.
The Meta group is in the process of cutting around 10,000 positions. This wave of layoffs, announced in mid-March, follows the first restructuring plan in the company’s history, which took place at the end of 2022. Among the departing employees, the site specialized The Verge ensures moderation teams are heavily impacted.
“Protect our community”
According to the American media, the majority of those in charge of the fight against disinformation were fired this week. About fifty employees were responsible for preventing the dissemination and spread of false information, both on Facebook, but also on Instagram.
“We remain focused on advancing our industry-leading integrity efforts and we continue to invest in teams and technology to protect our community,” a spokesperson for the group told The Verge.
“Flattening the organization” was one of Mark Zuckerberg’s goals when he announced this new social plan. The company therefore seems to have brought together teams working on similar themes. The few moderators who escaped dismissal joined a new, larger team working on similar topics.
Before the announcement of a second wave of layoffs, Facebook employees had complained of being paid to do nothing. They pointed to an extremely long internal project validation process, resulting in longer lead times.
