Meta is laying off around 8,000 employees as part of its biggest restructuring drive this year. As uncertainty spreads across the company, employees have been sharing stories about what life inside Meta has really been like. From anxiety over job security to an employee creating radio station playing AI-generated songs about the layoffs, workers have found different ways to process the upheaval. Now, one former Meta employee is going viral for criticising Meta’s internal culture and its controversial stack-ranking system.
In a viral post on X, former Meta employee Jeremy Bernier revealed that he had been recently laid off from the company. While acknowledging that losing his income was difficult, he said he felt relieved to leave behind what he described as a workplace shaped by “never-ending layoffs” and stack ranking.
“I just got laid off from Meta. Obviously, it sucks to lose the income. But between the never-ending layoffs, stack ranking, etc., I’m good. Pretty convinced that when I look back at this moment a few years into the future, I’ll be grateful it happened,” Bernier wrote on X.
Adding a touch of humour to the situation, Bernier revealed that he had travelled to South Korea shortly after being laid off and planned to spend time in Japan, joking that he was excited to return to “modern civilisation” after leaving Silicon Valley behind.
In his following posts, the former Meta engineer was particularly critical of stack ranking, a performance-management system used by many large technology companies to compare employees against one another. Describing the practice as “absolute cancer”, he argued that years of internal competition and constant evaluation can take a significant toll on workers.
Bernier also denied the fact that Meta’s recent cuts targeted only low performers. He suggested that layoff decisions were likely based on a combination of factors, including performance, team structure, role requirements and potentially compensation levels. “Not it’s a combination of performance, team, role, etc. Prob some other heuristics in there as well (eg. I would guess compensation),” he wrote on X.
Bernier also pointed to the challenges confronting employees on H-1B visas, who typically have just 60 days to find a new sponsor, switch visa categories or leave the United States. He added that layoffs can place significant financial pressure on workers with mortgages, families and other long-term commitments, arguing that the impact extends far beyond losing a pay cheque.
Meta cuts 8,000 jobs
Bernier’s comments come amid one of Meta’s biggest restructurings in years. The company recently cut around 8,000 jobs, roughly 10 per cent of its workforce, while simultaneously moving about 7,000 employees into new AI-focused teams. The changes are part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s effort to make Meta leaner and more focused on artificial intelligence.
Following the cuts, Zuckerberg told employees in an internal memo that he does not expect any further company-wide layoffs in 2026. The assurance comes as Meta continues its broader AI-driven restructuring while attempting to calm concerns among remaining employees.