At least one of the “fake work” stories could be true.
One TikToker claims on the platform that as a former Meta employee, she had to work really hard to — well, find work, according to the insider.
“They were just like hoarding us, like Pokémon cards,” Britney Levy said in the video. “You had to fight to find work.”
@clearlythere #stitch with @roilysm #meta #metalayoffs #tech #techtok #techlayoffs #businessinsider #news #google #work #career #metaseverance #fyp #business ♬ Original sound – Brit
Meta, like other tech companies, has experienced a hiring bonanza during the pandemic as it faced huge demand for its products and services while people were stuck at the company.
Meta said it had 44,942 employees as of December 31, 2019. By the end of 2021, the company was listed at 71,970 employees in its annual report and wrote in it “expect[ed] The growth in the number of employees will continue for the foreseeable future.”
But after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates and changed consumer habits, Meta and similar companies, including Amazon and Google, faced a hard landing — and layoffs.
Related: More than 1,600 tech workers will be laid off per day on average in 2023, according to a new report
Meta then said 2023 would be a “year of efficiency” after laying off 11,000 people in November. The company announced more layoffs this week that will affect another 10,000 people.
At an event earlier this month, Keith Rabois, a general partner at Founders Fund, added to criticism that Meta is overstaffed.
“These people have nothing to do – they are real – it’s all make-believe work,” he said.
As Insider previously reported, Levy declined to sign the termination agreement after her 2022 layoff because she wanted to discuss her experience with the company. (The outlet confirmed her job status and firing.)
Levy, 35, was hired through Meta’s Sourcer Development Program, which sought to recruit workers from underrepresented backgrounds. Levy, who is Mexican, said she didn’t get a job after she was hired. She was released in the first round of layoffs in November.
Related: ‘Fake work’ ‘exposed’ by Google and Meta layoffs, says former PayPal exec
“I was basically set up for failure,” she told the outlet.
“We just sat there,” she added in the video. “It seemed like Meta was hiring people so other companies couldn’t have us.”