Meta Lays Off Employees Over Media Leaks

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has recently taken strong and decisive action against employees who leaked sensitive and confidential information to the press, reinforcing its commitment to protecting company secrets and maintaining privacy standards.

The tech giant has terminated around 20 employees for sharing sensitive company data with external parties, and additional dismissals are anticipated in the near future.

Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold said the company reminds workers when they first start, and every now and then, that leaking internal news is against policy.

The investigation culminating in these firings occurs at a time when leaked information about unreleased product roadmaps and company internal meetings have accelerated.

The crackdown follows recent incidents of disclosures, including some from a recent all-hands meeting addressed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Meta then removed the vote-and-critique features of its live meetings to change the format of its meetings.

The leadership of the company has complained about the leaks. Zuckerberg complained at a January meeting that everything that comes out of his mouth gets leaked, and CTO Andrew Bosworth mentioned in February that the company was making strides towards catching whoever was doing it.

These firings come amid major shifts at Meta, such as eased content moderation policies, lowered diversity efforts, and recent performance-based layoffs. The company's response to these matters has brought into question its changing corporate culture and priorities.