NOBARTV NEWS – Meta, one of the world’s largest tech giants, recently faced an internal scandal involving misuse of its meal allowance by employees at its Los Angeles office. About two dozen employees were fired after it was discovered they used company-provided meal vouchers for personal use, such as buying laundry detergent, wine glasses and even skincare products like acne treatment pads. A source familiar with the company confirmed the incident to CNN. The case has drawn attention because Meta has been known to provide various exclusive benefits to employees, especially at large offices such as New York and Silicon Valley.
Meta, which has locations in various regions, usually provides free food service for employees who work in large offices, such as their office near Penn Station, New York. There, employees enjoy free, luxurious meals with a variety of menu options like a high-end food court. However, for smaller offices without such facilities, Meta provides meal vouchers for $20 for breakfast and $25 for lunch and dinner. The goal is clear: to help employees meet their food needs while working in the office, especially in the technology industry which often requires long and intensive work hours.
However, Meta's internal investigation found that some employees in Los Angeles were using meal vouchers to purchase items other than food or even ordering food delivered to their homes instead of the office. This violated company policy that requires meal allowances to be used exclusively during office hours. This condition is one of the reasons why Meta had to take decisive action by firing the employees involved.
The layoffs coincide with Meta’s announcement of a restructuring of several of its teams. Meta is in the process of streamlining its organization to align resources with its long-term strategic goals. Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton said that several teams were being relocated, and some employees were changing roles. While it did not explicitly mention the number of employees affected, previous reports indicated that the layoffs were across multiple divisions, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Reality Labs, which focuses on virtual reality and metaverse projects.
The firings also underscore Meta’s ongoing turmoil at the company following a series of mass layoffs last year. In 2023, Meta laid off more than 20.000 employees in several rounds of layoffs, part of an effort to reverse declining revenue and stagnant user growth. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called 2023 a “year of efficiency” for the company, and the restructuring moves are part of a larger strategy to get the company back on track.
Interestingly, one of the employees who was fired was Jane Manchun Wong, a prominent security researcher who was known in the tech world for her ability to predict new social media features before they were launched. Wong, who had only joined Meta in June 2023 to work on Instagram and Threads, had made significant contributions to social media innovation. However, her firing indicates that Meta's restructuring is not only affecting lower-level positions, but also influential talent within the company.
Since the various cuts and restructuring, Meta's stock has seen a significant increase, rising almost 80% compared to last year. This shows that despite facing major challenges within the company, the efficiency measures taken by Meta seem to have succeeded in improving its financial condition. However, incidents such as the misuse of meal allowances show that internal challenges still remain, especially in maintaining compliance with strict company policies.
