Meta Lays Off 700 Employees, While Rewarding Top Executives

Meta laid off 700 employees while simultaneously implementing a new stock compensation program for top executives, marking another round of workforce reduction at the tech company. The contrasting moves reflect Meta's strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence development and away from other business areas. The layoffs continue a pattern of restructuring that began under CEO Mark Zuckerberg's "Year of Efficiency" initiative, which has eliminated thousands of positions since 2023. The executive stock program signals the company's intent to retain senior leadership as it pursues its AI ambitions, potentially raising questions about resource allocation during a period of broader workforce cuts. Meta has not disclosed which divisions or roles were targeted in the latest reduction.